


The Nanny

by Sindra_Falcone



Series: The Nannyverse [1]
Category: Big Bang (Band)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:55:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 29,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22532068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sindra_Falcone/pseuds/Sindra_Falcone
Summary: Choi Seung Hyun wants to hire a Nanny for his beloved nephew. But will he end up finding something more?
Relationships: Choi Seunghyun | T.O.P./You
Series: The Nannyverse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1698616
Comments: 36
Kudos: 23





	1. Are you the one?

**Author's Note:**

> (**Please note: This series was written in full about 2-3 years ago. Therefore, Seungri does make appearances in it & he is written in a positive light. If that’s going to bother you, this might not be the fic for you.**)
> 
> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. This story contains fictional representations of real people. None of the events are true. This is from an American standpoint, so some of the situations may not happen the same way they might in Korea. I make no money from the writing of this fictional work. Also, this work is xposted from my Tumblr account.
> 
> Authors Note:  
> This is the very first piece of fanfic that I ever wrote & published into the kpop fandom. I will admit that my writing is a little rough around the edges in the beginning... but I promise that it gets better! lol (and chapters eventually get longer.) Also, since it's a (very) slow burn romance, the "Mature" parts will not happen until much later in the series.

You sat in the waiting room, trying not to fidget from nerves.  
  
“Mr. Wilson? Ms. _________ here to see you as requested.” the secretary said into the intercom.  
  
“Send her in.” your boss’s voice squawked back.

You rose from your seat, grabbing your “Mary Poppins” bag from the floor as you went. It had been a gag gift from your sister at your graduation. And even though it was meant for fun, you found it to be quite useful & seldom went anywhere without it now.

You took a deep breath to steady yourself as you pushed the door open to your boss’s office. As you entered, he looked up from the paperwork on his desk. 

“Ah, ________. Shut the door, please?”

You winced. As much as you liked your boss, that had the potential to be a very bad sign. 

“You asked to see me, Sir?” you tried to sound confident instead of the squirming mass of nerves that you really felt.

“Yes. Please, have a seat.” he gestured to the chair in front of his desk.

You sat down, smoothed your uniform, crossed your legs at the ankle, rested your hands in your lap & then peered at the short, balding man expectantly.

“I’ve been looking over your evaluation scores from your last test family. To put it bluntly, they’re exceptional.”  
  
You felt yourself smiling and gave yourself a mental pat on the back. Those three little brats had been hell on wheels, but you had managed to impress the parents & that’s all that mattered. However, those six months had been quite stressful and made you question your decision to even become a Nanny in the first place. 

“In fact, they’ve indicated to me that they would like to hire you on full time…”  
  
You felt the blood drain from your face as he let that sentence hang. No… there was no way that you could handle those hellions permanently. You were so busy trying to figure out a way to politely decline the position without pissing your boss off, you almost missed what he said next.  
  
“However, I have a different proposition in mind for you. I’ve just had a request for a live in Nanny come across my desk from South Korea.”  
  
You stared at him blankly for a moment, only blinking your eyes, not really able to form a coherent thought much less a complete sentence. Then you finally managed to squeak out, “South… Korea…”

It was your dream job. You’d been studying the Korean language for years just hoping for an opportunity like this. And while you were fluent in speaking and fairly fluent reading it, the writing just kept evading you.

“Now, I don’t have to tell you that a full time live in Nanny job in South Korea is highly coveted among our graduates here. You know that there are many ladies who rightly outrank you for this job. If you decide to take it, you’ll have to keep it from them. I really should have offered it to a more senior Nanny, but I honestly think you’re a perfect fit for this boy.” He said as he reached across his desk to retrieve a folder. He rifled through it & passed a 5x7 color photo of the boy in question to you.  
  
You took it with slightly trembling fingers and looked down at the photograph. In it, a boy was smiling for the camera and holding a rather worn stuffed rabbit that looked as if it had once been white. You smiled and traced the shape of one of his cheeks with your finger as your heart melted. He was absolutely adorable.  
  
“Now…” your boss continued. “His name is Yeon Jun. And you’ll be living with his Uncle.”  
  
Your head popped up at that. “His Uncle?”  
  
“Yes. He’s the one paying your salary, so according to Korean law you have to reside at his villa in Seoul. His mother will be dropping him off and picking him up each day.”

“Excuse me, Sir? Did you just say a villa in _Seoul_?” you put emphasis on that last word. No way… this job just keeps getting better and better!

Your boss just chuckled. “Indeed I did. Now about the Uncle…”  
  
Oh no. There just had to be a catch, didn’t there? Was he a criminal element? A seedy CEO? 

“Um, yes?” you took a breath & held it, waiting for the bad news.  
  
Your boss took a deep breath, “It’s Choi Seung Hyun.” he looked at you as if he expected you to react in some way.

“I-I’m sorry, Sir. Should I recognize that name? I’ve been so focused on learning the language and customs that I haven’t really had any time to spend on culture.”

His lips merely quirked up and he had a mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes that you had never seen before. “Well… I just thought that as diligently as you’d been studying your Korean that you might…Ah, no matter. Will you take the job?”

You felt your eyebrows climb up. Of course you’d take the freaking job!!! But what you managed to say was, “Yes, Sir. I believe I will. Thank you for having faith in me.”  
  
“Excellent!” He smiled at you, reached back into the folder and handed you an envelope.

“What’s this?” You asked him.

“Your plane tickets, hotel reservation and other information. Your plane leaves tomorrow morning.”  
  
“So soon?!?” your voice pitched up an octave in excitement and fear.  
  
“The client was explicit. I was to find a suitable Nanny and fast. You’re going for a two week evaluation. You’ll get to know the boy and if you suit each other then you can begin the paperwork to gain your working papers. You’ll have to come back here for a few weeks while all that gets sorted out. But if you’re lucky, you’ll be permanently in South Korea by March.” he paused for a moment to gauge your expression. “_________? Are you still interested?”  
  
You quickly stood from your seat & gathered your bag from the floor beside the chair. “Of course I am, Sir! Now, if you will excuse me, it seems that I have some packing to do.” You started to hand him the photo of the boy, but he waved you off.  
  
“Keep it. And remember, do not breathe a _word_ of this to your dorm mates. I’ll have a mutiny on my hands if they find out what I’ve done.” he says.

You started for the door. “Thank you, Sir. And I promise, I won’t tell anyone.” You reach for the door knob.  
  
“If they ask, tell them that I’m sending you back to those ingrates in France.” he chuckled.  
  
“What?!?” you exclaimed. “You _knew_ how horrible those kids were?”  
  
He just sat there and smiled at you. “Of course I did. I only send graduates that I really want to test to the Olsen family. Congratulations. You passed with flying colors. In fact, you’re the only one that I’ve sent over there that hasn’t come back to me within a month crying that being a Nanny just wasn’t for them any more. Those triplets have managed to break some of my best candidates. But not you…”  
  
You blushed at his praise. The man didn’t give it out often.  
  
“Now, get moving _________! You’ve got packing to do!” he yelled, suddenly back to the grumpy old man that you knew and loved.  
  
“Yes, Sir!” you let yourself out of his office and scurried back to the dorm to pack.

He quickly fired off an email to Choi Seung Hyun, letting him know when you’d arrive, along with a dossier about you and the standard contracts. That man was quite the character. Your boss just shook his head. He’d heard that the man had rejected seven Nannies from three other agencies before finally contacting him.  
  
“Good luck, ___________. You’re going to need it.” your boss mumbled as he went back to his paperwork.


	2. Flying to Seoul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (**Please note: This series was written in full about 2-3 years ago. Therefore, Seungri does make appearances in it & he is written in a positive light. If that’s going to bother you, this might not be the fic for you.**)
> 
> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. This story contains fictional representations of real people. None of the events are true. This is from an American standpoint, so some of the situations may not happen the same way they might in Korea. I make no money from the writing of this fictional work. Also, this work is xposted from my Tumblr account.
> 
> Authors Note:  
>  This is the very first piece of fanfic that I ever wrote & published into the kpop fandom. I will admit that my writing is a little rough around the edges in the beginning... but I promise that it gets better! lol (and chapters eventually get longer.) Also, since it's a (very) slow burn romance, the "Mature" parts will not happen until much later in the series.

“ _Last call for flight KAL122, from _______ to Seoul. Now departing from gate 5.”_ the voice echoed across the airport speakers. You raced through the terminal, trying to make your flight. Due to some incredibly stupid people, security checks had been backed up, resulting in your almost being late. You finally made it to the ticket counter & breathlessly handed the attendant your boarding pass and passport. As she scanned it, you took a moment to collect yourself. Making sure that your uniform was in place & tucking stray strands of hair up into your hat.   
  
“Here you go, Ma'am. Enjoy your flight.” the attendant said as she handed you back your papers.

You quickly made your way onto the plane, politely declining the stewardess when she offered to help you store your bag in the overhead compartment.  
  
“I’d like to keep hold of it, thanks.” You told her with a smile as you slid it under your seat.

You settled into your seat nervously. Flying had never really bothered you, with the exception of takeoff. For some odd reason, watching the ground get smaller just really freaked you out. Once you were finally in the air, you heaved a sigh of relief and gave the nice looking elderly lady that was seated beside you a shaky smile.

“ _May as well get some work done…”_ you thought to yourself. _“It’s going to be a LONG flight.”_ You dug around in your bag until you came up with the folder your boss had given you on your way out the door this morning. You took the picture of Yeon Jun out & tucked it under a paperclip at the top of the folder so you could look at it as you worked.

You’d been looking through the standard contracts that Mr. Wilson had sent with you, marking them in certain places where you’d be willing to negotiate, when the lady beside you tapped you on the shoulder.   
  
“You adopt?” she asked in broken English as she gestured to the photo of the boy.   
  
You shook your head. “No. I’m going to be his Nanny.” you couldn’t help the smile that broke out on your face as you answered her in fluent Korean.   
  
Her face lit up as she heard you speak her native language. She replied, “Lucky boy.”  
  
“No… lucky me.” you told her honestly.   
  
Thus began a lovely friendship that lasted the entire flight. She told you about her children who were now living in America. Apparently she had been visiting them for a few months before returning to Seoul. She even brought out the obligatory string of pictures that all proud Grandmothers carry. You didn’t really mind though. It gave you something to distract you from your nerves and made the flight pass by quickly. Between her stories, an inflight meal and a couple cat naps, the 15 hour flight was almost enjoyable. Before you knew it, the ‘Fasten Seatbelt’ sign was back on & you were about to land in Seoul, South Korea.

Once the plane was on the ground, you stood up, stretched as much as the cramped cabin would allow and readjusted your uniform. The lady held out a piece of paper to you with her address on it.   
  
“When you get settled, come and see me.” she patted your hand. 

“Thanks! It may be a while, but I’ll do just that.” you told her. Grabbing your “Mary Poppins” bag, you disembarked, making your way into Incheon Airport & went straight to the baggage claim. You waited for a while, until your suitcase finally made it’s way around, then headed for the exit to catch a cab to your hotel.

At least that was the plan. As you exited the airport, you were surprised to see a man holding a sign that had your name written on it, in English no less. “Ms. __________”, it clearly said. You walked over to the man & bowed in greeting.

“Excuse me, but I’m Ms. __________.”

He smiled, “I’ve been instructed to drive you to your hotel.” Without another word he grabbed your luggage and headed for a sleek looking black car.

After your luggage was safely stored in the trunk. He held the door open for you as you slid into the back seat. You were so busy admiring the plush leather seats that you almost missed him asking which hotel you were staying at. You told him and he efficiently pulled out into traffic.

On the ride to your hotel you tried your best not to gawk like a tourist. After all, you had a professional image to maintain… but it was a very near thing.

You managed to check into the hotel with no problems. Your boss had chosen well. Not too lavish, but not shabby either. You were glad that you’d at least have a few hours to rest & be able to have a shower before going to your meeting. The driver informed you that he’d be back at 4:30 to pick you up for your meeting and left. After spending a few moments asking the concierge for help with procuring something for you, you walked over to the bank of elevators.   
  
You made it all the way up to your room, locking the door behind you, before walking over to the big picture window that looked out over the sprawling city. You jumped up onto the bed and began bouncing on it out of sheer joy. _You were in freaking Seoul!!!_

After just a few bounces, you collapsed onto the bed in a fit of giggles. After composing yourself, you managed to fall asleep relatively quickly out of sheer exhaustion. You hadn’t really slept properly the night before. You had been entirely too nervous & spent the night packing and repacking the suitcase that you would be essentially living out of for the next two weeks.

After a good long nap, you woke up and had a shower. You took your sweet time putting on your formal uniform, doing up your hair into a low chignon and applying just a touch of makeup. When your clock read 4:30, you gathered up everything and made your way downstairs to check out and wait for your driver to show back up. 

He was already there when you got downstairs & loaded your luggage back into the same car as you settled with the hotel and picked up the box from the concierge. By 5:00 on the dot, you were standing outside the villa. As your driver pulled your luggage out of the trunk, you rang the doorbell, holding your bag in one hand and balancing the box with the other. He brought it over to you and bowed.  
  
“Your luggage Ms. _________.” he grinned at you as you returned the bow. “Good luck.” he said as he walked away. The door opening pulled your attention away from his retreating form. “Thank………..”

Standing in the doorway was the best looking man you had ever seen in your entire life. “…. you…” you trailed off lamely. 

“Welcome to my home.” Choi Seung Hyun said in greeting and gestured you inside. You were trying to figure out how to deal with your suitcase while you had your hands full, but he stopped you. “Let me.”  
  
“Um, thank you.” you said as you stepped across the threshold. You slid off your shoes and placed them with the others along the wall, noticing the small pair that must belong to Yeon Jun. When he had set your luggage down, you turned to him and offered the box out to him & he just looked at you with a smirk as he took it. You hung your coat and hat on a peg & turned to greet your host properly.

“Annyeonghaseyo” you said with a bow. He quirked an eyebrow at you.   
  
“I was told you speak both Korean and English, but I didn’t believe it until now.” he replied in perfect, if heavily accented, English. “Of course that’s what they said about the others as well.” he peered at you thoughtfully. “You’re the first one to get it right.” he grinned.   
  
_Others?_ You thought _What others?_

“Aish, I’m being rude.” he chided himself in a rich voice. He bowed to you and returned your greeting, then gestured you further into the house. “Can I offer you some refreshment?”  
  
“Not right now, thank you” you continued speaking in English, since he was as well. “Perhaps later? For right now, I’d really like to meet Yeon Jun.”

As if on cue, the boy barreled down the hall & skidded to a stop in the living room when he saw you. You took a few steps toward him until you were standing only a few feet from him. You slowly sank down onto your knees in front of him so that the two of you were eye level & then bowed to him.  
  
“Annyeonghaseyo, Yeon Jun. It’s nice to meet you. My name is ____________.” you told him in Korean as you held out your hand for him to shake.

He shyly shook your hand, but spoke to his Uncle as he did so. “I like her, samchon. She’s different.” He flashed a most adorable smile your way as he said, “Want to see my Bearbricks?”

He was already tugging you to your feet and down the hall as you said, “I’d love to!”   
  
Both of you missed the chuckle and the shake of Seung Hyun’s head as he watched the two of you disappear down the hall without a backwards glance. He had finally gotten curious and opened the box. Nestled inside was a selection of small pastries. He smiled a boy-like grin as he reached in and picked up a strawberry filled one.  
  
“Well?” his sister asked as she walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands with a towel.

“She brought a gift.” he mumbled around a mouthful.   
  
“That’s the first one to get that right.” His sister said as she strode over to him and peered into the box, then smacked him lightly on the arm. “Aish, you’re going to spoil your dinner!”

They looked at each other and smiled as a peal of laughter rang down the hall.   
  
“I think she’s the one.” Seung Hyun said as he licked his fingers.


	3. Dinner and Contracts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. This story contains fictional representations of real people. None of the events are true. This is from an American standpoint, so some of the situations may not happen the same way they might in Korea. I make no money from the writing of this fictional work.

You had spent the past 45 minutes in the playroom having a blast with Yeon Jun and completely lost track of time. He was just too much fun. When Seung Hyun stuck his head in the doorway you looked up at him sheepishly from your spot on the floor.

“Dinner is ready.” he said with a smile.

“Great!” Yeon Jun yelled as he jumped up. “I’m starving!”

You and Seung Hyun shared a chuckle at the boys over dramatic statement. You managed to get up off the floor as gracefully as you could.

“Yeon Jun? How about you show me where we can wash up before dinner?” you asked as you took the boy by the hand.

“Okay.” he said as he led you a few doors down the hallway.

After the two of you had washed your hands, he brought you back through the living room and into the dining area. He finally let go of your hand so he could run over to an older woman that you hadn’t seen before.

“Halmeoni!” Yeon Jun exclaimed as he hugged her. “Come meet my new nanny.” He brought her over to you. You bowed deeply to her as Seung Hyun introduced you more formally to his mother. You didn’t catch the surprised look he shared with his sister over your shoulder. Yeon Jun had never referred to the other candidates that way and both of them were a bit shocked.

“And this is my sister, Choi Hye Yoon.” Seung Hyun said as he gestured towards her. You bowed to her as well, although not as deeply as you had for his mother.

You shook the hand that she offered you, “Nice to meet you.” she said with a smile.

“Let’s eat.” Seung Hyun said. “Before my poor nephew starves to death.” he added playfully as he ruffled the boy’s hair. He led you to the table, but you stood until his mother had sat down before picking a chair beside Yeon Jun and seating yourself.

“Jal meokkessseumnida.” you said with a slight bob of your head to Seung Hyun. Then you waited until his mother began eating before even picking up your chopsticks to start your meal.

Dinner passed by quickly with great conversation. They all asked questions about your training and previous Nanny experience in Europe. And you asked them questions about Seoul and life in Korea in general. Before you knew it, Hye Yoon was bringing in the pastries you had brought for dessert.

You helped to clear the table, clean up the dishes and put away the food. Then Seung Hyun’s mother took Yeon Jun home with her so the contract negotiations could begin. You were sad to see the boy leave. You really didn’t want to start the boring process, you just wanted to play some more but you knew you’d see him again soon & you told him so as you hugged him goodbye.

After you grabbed your bag that had all your paperwork in it, Choi Hye Yoon took you back into the living room area and you managed to get your first really good look around the place. It was impressive, to say the least.

About the time Seung Hyun had rounded the corner from the kitchen with three wineglasses and an opened bottle, you let out a loud gasp at something you had spotted in the living room.

“Oh my stars…” you whispered. “Is that really a De Sede lounge chair?” you walked over to it and automatically reached out to touch the leather. Then you realized what you were about to do & jerked your hand back.

Seung Hyun chuckled as he set the glasses down on the table and began to pour. “Please, have a seat.” he gestured at the De Sede chair.

“You can’t be serious. I mean…. I…I couldn’t…” you stuttered.

“It’s a chair.” he said with a smile as he slid a wine glass over your way. “It’s meant to be sat in.”

“Um, okay…” You sat down a little uneasily, but the chair was so comfortable that you soon melted into the black leather.

“You like?” he teased as he opened the folder that was already lying on the table.

“Oh, yes… I like.” You smiled at him and tried to forget the fact that you were sitting in what was essentially a $10,000 chair.

Negotiations really weren’t that bad. You were to look after Yeon Jun Monday through Friday from 7:00 am until 5:00 pm. Your evenings and weekends you would have free. You would be staying in the villa, as Seung Hyun had converted a guest area into a Nanny’s quarters for you.

“It doesn’t have a kitchen area.” he said seriously. That had been a deal breaker for some of the others. “But you will have complete access to the main kitchen as I hardly ever use it. It will be completely stocked for your use though.” He looked over at you hopefully.

“Well, if I get all that, it hardly seems fair that I still get a cost of living increase in my pay. We can just take that out.” you said and you began to mark that out in your paperwork.

Seung Hyun quickly reached out his hand and placed it over yours to stop you. “No. We leave it.” he said firmly. “I want you to be comfortable. It will take you a while to adjust and I don’t want you to be stressed about money. We can revisit that amount later if you like.”

“Okay,” you conceded. “You make a valid point.” He nodded to you as he removed his hand and went back to skimming his paperwork with his index finger. You reached for your glass and took a quick swallow of red wine, trying to distract yourself from the feel of his hand on yours.

You agreed that you would do general housekeeping chores like cleaning the kitchen after using it and keeping the playroom tidy, the rest would be left to the weekly cleaning lady. You found out that Seung Hyun sent his laundry out, but there was a washer/dryer there for you to use if you wanted.

You discussed the fact that they wanted you to instruct Yeon Jun on the English language and other cultures. That was not a surprise for you, as it was the reason that many families sought out a foreign Nanny.

You all agreed that your two week trial period would begin in two days, on Monday morning. After the two weeks were up, you would fly back home and await their decision.

As you signed the basic trial agreement & gave them their evaluation forms, you couldn’t help the yawn that escaped.

“Sorry.” you blushed. “I guess my nap has worn off.”

Seung Hyun stood, “Follow me and I’ll show you to your room. I’ve already put your luggage in there.”

You said goodbye to Hye Yoon, gathered up your files and bag & followed him down to the end of the long hallway and up a flight of stairs. At the top of the stairs he turned right and opened the door for you.

“My room is across there.” he pointed to the door opposite yours. “If you need anything, let me know.” He pointed to another door at the end of the landing. “That door leads to my office. If I’m in there, I expect to be left alone.” he said seriously.

You nodded in understanding. “Got it.”

“Good night then.” he smiled at you one last time and then shut the door as he left.

You just stood there for a moment, taking in the room. It was painted a very nice shade of cream. There was a small twin bed and a tiny desk in one corner that would be perfect for your laptop. Exploring a bit further, you found a decent sized closet and were beyond happy to discover a completely Westernized bathroom with an enclosed shower.

You went back into the bedroom & automatically began the routine of changing into your pajamas. Once you set the tiny alarm clock and settled into the bed you sighed, “If this is a dream, I never want to wake up…” you mumbled as you drifted off to sleep.


	4. Leaving and Return to Seoul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. This story contains fictional representations of real people. None of the events are true. This is from an American standpoint, so some of the situations may not happen the same way they might in Korea. I make no money from the writing of this fictional work.
> 
> Suggested Listening: Stay With Me - Taeyang ft. G Dragon

Your alarm started beeping loudly at 6 am, waking you from a deep sleep. You stumbled into the bathroom and splashed some cold water on your face before you slipped your bathrobe over your pajamas & headed downstairs in search of coffee.

Even though it was early, you smelled exactly what you were in search of as soon as you opened your bedroom door. You made your way downstairs, only then you realized that the house was deathly silent. You walked into the kitchen to find a bright yellow post-it note stuck to the coffee pot.

It read, simply: “Gone to work. Have some coffee.” He had even drawn a smiley face.

You giggled as you slipped the note into the pocket of your robe. You filled the mug that he had left for you, smiling at his thoughtfulness. As you leaned against the counter, you tried to decide on what to do today. You knew the jet lag wouldn’t really hit until tomorrow & finally decided on sightseeing.

You made a quick breakfast & cleaned up after yourself, including the coffee pot. Taking a quick shower, you dressed, grabbed your camera bag and were out the door in under an hour. You spent the entire day just enjoying being a tourist. You took a ridiculous amount of pictures, bought food from a street vendor and mailed off a postcard to your sister.

You were quite surprised to find that Seung Hyun was still not at the villa when you returned. You weren’t sure what his job was, but it must be seriously high stress to make him work all day, on a Saturday no less. You just shrugged to yourself, made your way up to your room & went to sleep.

Sunday you pretty much spent in bed, since the Jet lag had finally got to you, just as you had predicted.

Monday you managed to make it up and out of bed before Seung Hyun did. You were so excited about it being your first full day with Yeon Jun that you had set your alarm extra early. You crept downstairs, careful not to wake your host. This time, you got the coffee started. About an hour later Seung Hyun stumbled into the kitchen.

“Coffee…” he mumbled, looking quite tired and adorably disheveled.

You rummaged around in the cabinets until you found a mug & passed it to him. You watched him carefully as he prepared his coffee. Mostly coffee, just a splash of milk, no sugar.

“Would you like some breakfast?” you asked him.

His voice was groggy from sleep as he grunted, “There is no breakfast… only coffee.”

You laughed, “Fair enough.” You finished your own coffee before heading upstairs to change. Around 30 minutes later you came back downstairs in your everyday uniform, carrying a pair of flats in your hands that you placed by the door. You went back into the kitchen and found Seung Hyun munching on a leftover pastry from your dinner a few nights ago.

You found yourself making a face, it had to be stale by now. “What happened to no breakfast?” you asked.

He shrugged and began pouring himself another cup of coffee, “I changed my mind. By the way, I’ll probably be in my office for most of today and…” he trailed off as he turned around and looked up at you, his eyes growing wide.

“I know.” you said. “You don’t want to be disturbed.” When he didn’t say anything for several moments, you asked “Everything okay, Seung Hyun-ssi?”

He shook his head as if to clear it. “Um… yeah. It’s just… that’s different.” he gestured to your uniform.

Instead of the formal uniform that you had worn on Friday, (which was a long sleeved, white blouse and a floor length, dark blue skirt) you were wearing the everyday uniform. This was just a simple dark blue shirt-dress with a white collar and white trim around the short sleeves. It had deep pockets and fell to just below your knees. You also had on the traditional black stockings as well as the silver embroidered “W” on the left breast. If you ever managed to land this job, it would be changed to gold.

“Would you rather I wear something else?” you asked as you smoothed your hands self-consciously down your uniform.

“NO!” he said quickly. “Um, I mean… no. It’s fine. Just… different.” without another word he walked out of the kitchen and back upstairs.

You shrugged to yourself and tidied up the kitchen as you waited for Yeon Jun to arrive.

Never before in your life had two weeks passed so quickly. You fell into a comfortable rhythm with Seung Hyun and the morning coffee ritual soon became your favorite part of the day. The time you spent with Yeon Jun was practically a nonstop play fest, which is really what you had expected with an energetic five year old. You ended every day feeling pleasantly worn out and looking forward to the morning, when you would hopefully see Seung Hyun again.

Finally the day came when you had to leave. It was a Saturday, so you hadn’t expected to see Yeon Jun that day. As you struggled to get your suitcase down the stairs you were surprised to hear the front door open. You left your luggage at the foot of the stairs & went to see who it was. As you walked into the living room, you were surprised to see Seung Hyun standing in the entryway. You’d never seen him at home in the middle of the day like this. Before you could say anything, you felt something barrel into your legs and grab hold of your long skirts tightly. You looked down and realized that it was a sobbing Yeon Jun.

“Oh, Rabbit…” You whispered, using the nickname you’d given him on your second day of looking after him. You bent down to pick him up, carried him over to the De Sede chair and sat down with him in your lap. You were making soothing sounds and rubbing his back as you tried to get him to calm down.

“My mother called me about an hour ago.” Seung Hyun said as he sat down on the sofa. “Apparently he’s been crying all morning…”

“What’s the matter?” you asked the poor little boy in your arms. He looked up at you with tear stained cheeks.

“I… don’t…want…you…to… leave!” he managed to get out between sobs.

You reached into the pockets of your skirt & brought out a handkerchief. While you were talking to him, you used it to dry his tears and wipe his runny nose then pressed it into his tiny hand.“Oh, Rabbit… I don’t want to leave either.” You were so focused on Yeon Jun that you missed Seung Hyun’s smile at your affectionate nickname for his nephew. “But, with any luck, I’ll be back before you know it.”

“You promise?” Yeon Jun asked.

You weren’t sure what to say to that, since it wasn’t really up to you whether you got to return or not. You looked over at Seung Hyun, silently asking for his help with the situation.

“Of course she will.” Seung Hyun said as he reached over to pat the boy on the back. “That is, if she will accept my offer of employment.”

You couldn’t help but laugh. “Hmmm… being Nanny to the cutest little boy on the planet AND free coffee every morning? How can I say no to that?”

Seung Hyun laughed, which made Yeon Jun laugh too. “I’m gonna go play.” he said with a final sniffle as he climbed down from your lap.

“Here, give me your shoes.” you told him. He slid them off and held them out to you. He started to give you the handkerchief as well but you told him to hang on to it until you got back. With one last hug he was off and running down the hall towards the playroom.

You stood up and walked to the entryway to put his shoes down. When you turned back to go get your luggage you instead found Seung Hyun carrying it into the living room for you.

“Did you mean it?” you blurted out. “The offer of employment, I mean… You weren’t just saying that to make him feel better?”

“I’m not in the habit of saying things I don’t mean.” he held out his hand to you. “Shake on it? I should be able to email Mr. Wilson and get everything started before your plane even lands.” he said with a smile.

“Deal!” you said excitedly as you shook his offered hand.

It took almost a month before you were able to return to Seoul. The paperwork was incredibly tedious and both of the governments involved took forever. You used this time to pack up and ship your belongings ahead of your arrival. This time, when you boarded the plane, all you had was your carry on. Everything else was already there, including your brand new uniforms with a gold “W”.

By the time your plane had landed at Incheon it was dark. The same driver was there to meet you and take you to your new home. All of it still felt rather surreal to you. You had just flown first class into Seoul, been picked up at the airport by a driver and were on your way to live with a seriously handsome man in a beautiful villa. You smiled as you pinched yourself… just in case.

No sooner had you shut the front door to the villa than lightning flashed across the sky and rain began to pour. You slid off your shoes and hung up your coat then made your way over to the huge floor to ceiling window in the living room that overlooked the city. There was no denying that it was gorgeous with the lightning all around it, back-lighting the tall buildings. 

You had always loved watching thunderstorms, and so you just plopped down tiredly onto the floor to marvel at mother nature for a while. You had no idea how long you just sat there before you heard the front door open. You heard Seung Hyun come into the living room and you could feel his eyes watching you.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” you asked him without even taking your eyes off the window.

“It is.” he replied simply before heading off into the kitchen.

After sitting there for a few minutes longer, you stood up. You figured you should make your way upstairs so you weren’t in Seung Hyun’s way. But when you turned to head that way, you saw him walking towards you holding two wine glasses. When he reached you, he held a glass out to you and you took it from him.

“Welcome home, __________ -ah.” he said as he clinked his glass with yours.

You felt a blush rise in your cheeks. “Thanks.” you said as you took a sip and hummed in appreciation. “Hmmm… this is good.”

He chuckled and took another sip of wine.

“I… uh… I guess I’ll head upstairs. I don’t want to be in the way. Thanks for the wine.” you said as you took a couple steps away from him.

His hand shot out and lightly grabbed you by the wrist. “Stay with me.” he whispered.

You just looked at him for a few moments before nodding. “Okay…” Only after you spoke did he let you go.

You watched as relief flashed across his face. Seung Hyun gracefully sat down on the floor and patted the space beside him where you had been sitting earlier, so you sat back down.

The two of you just sat there in comfortable silence, sipping wine and watching the storm outside. When your wine was almost gone, Seung Hyun cleared his throat. “Hey, ________ -ah?” he asked.

“Hmmmmm?” you said, still watching the rain outside.

“About who I am… what I do…” he began.

You turned to look at him and held up a hand to stop him. “Is it illegal?”

“No.” he shook his head.

“Is it going to have repercussions for Yeon Jun?”

“It might.” he answered truthfully. “Later… but not now.”

“Then I don’t care. You are who you are Seung Hyun-ssi. Getting to know a person isn’t as simple as knowing what they do for a living. You have to spend time around them, learn how they move, what they think and how they interact with their world. Your job doesn’t define you as a person. It’s only a part of you. I’d rather get to know you… the real you.” you told him, looking into his dark, captivating eyes.

He just sat there looking shocked for a few minutes before he said, quietly “You really don’t know, do you?”

“Nope.” you told him with a smile. “Just answer me one thing.”

He said nothing, just quirked up an eyebrow.

“Are you happy? Doing whatever it is that you do?” you asked.

He seemed to honestly think about his response before saying anything & you found his ‘thinking face’ incredibly cute.

“Yes. It can be grueling at times. I don’t get enough sleep. I don’t eat well. I have a ton of stress. But… yes, it makes me happy.” he smiled at you as he gave his answer.

You couldn’t help the laugh the bubbled up. “Are you sure you’re not a Nanny?” you said as you laughed. “Because it pretty much sounds like you are!”

His rich laughter echoing through the room made you feel incredibly happy. This… this is where you were meant to be. In this place. At this time. Where nothing in the world mattered except you, Seung Hyun, the wine and the storm.

*******************************************************************************************************************  
Let yourself stay in this moment without a word  
When tonight passes, a new day will start  
I only have you, you’re my only love  
Hey don’t hesitate and just as you are, stay with me


	5. Adventures in Breakfast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. This story contains fictional representations of real people. None of the events are true. This is from an American standpoint, so some of the situations may not happen the same way they might in Korea. I make no money from the writing of this fictional work.

Luckily for you, you had flown back to Seoul on a Friday so you had a couple of days to acclimate yourself before having to actually do your job. You ended up not seeing Seung Hyun for the rest of the weekend, even though you had heard him come home in the early morning hours on Sunday.

Monday morning found you back in the kitchen, eagerly awaiting Yeon Jun’s arrival and making coffee. Once the boy was dropped off, Seung Hyun still hadn’t made his way downstairs and you started to make breakfast for Yeon Jun. He was seated at the small table in the kitchen with a coloring book keeping him occupied while you cooked for him.

Seung Hyun finally stumbled into the kitchen when you were halfway done making breakfast.

“Samchon!” the boy squealed excitedly. “Have breakfast with us!”

You watched as Seung Hyun winced at the boy’s volume while pouring himself some coffee. “Yeon Jun…” you said, warningly. “Where are you?”

He sighed, “Sorry, Nanny. I forgot to use my inside voice. I just got so excited.” he said with a smile.

“Yes, well… next time try to be more mindful of those around you.” you told him with a wink that said all was forgiven. You turned to Seung Hyun. “Breakfast?” you asked him, hopefully.

“Why not?” he said with a chuckle as he plopped down in the chair opposite his nephew and sipped his coffee.

A few minutes later, you sat their plates down in front of them. As Seung Hyun stared at his breakfast with a very confused expression on his face, Yeon Jun clapped his hands excitedly. “Yay, eggs and Soldiers!” he said as he began to dig in.

“What…?” Seung Hyun just looked at the boy. Then he turned to you. “What is this?” he asked you smoothly with a smirk as he gestured to the plate in front of him. On the plate was a boiled egg sitting upright in a small ramekin, along with a piece of toast that you had cut into strips.

“You wanted him to learn about other cultures.” you replied with a shrug of your shoulders. “One of the ways to do that is through food.”

“It’s British.” Yeon Jun explained, even though he was taking a bite of egg-dipped toast at the time.

“Yeon Jun…” you scolded. “We don’t talk with food in our mouth.”

“Sorry.” he said sheepishly after he swallowed.

You turned around just in time to see Seung Hyun with his egg in hand, getting ready to crack it against the table. “No!” you yelled as you grabbed his hand to stop him.

Yeon Jun gasped. “Nanny… inside voice.”

“Sorry, Rabbit. I just didn’t want your uncle to wear his breakfast.” you said in amusement at his reprimand.

As you took the egg from Seung Hyun and set it back into the ramekin, you explained. “It’s a soft boiled egg. Crack it like that & it’s going to go everywhere. Here…” you moved around to behind his chair. “Let me show you. Grab your spoon.”

He looked at you dubiously as he did so & Yeon Jun giggled quietly. You reached around him, taking his hand in yours and carefully cracked the egg with the spoon only 1/3 of the way down. Then you removed the top for him & stepped back around to the side.

“There, all perfect for dipping.” you said as you turned around to get the small bowls of fruit that you had made to accompany the meal.

Yeon Jun, still giggling, leaned forward and loudly whispered to his dumbfounded uncle as he patted his hand. “It’s okay, samchon. She had to show me how to do it too.”

After breakfast, Seung Hyun went upstairs while you cleaned up the dishes and began the morning with Yeon Jun. The two of you had a great time playing and beginning to work on his English with starting to learn the alphabet. Soon enough it was nap time and, after you read him a story, he was tucked up into his bed in the playroom.

You took this opportunity to sit on the couch for a while and read. After you had made it through a couple chapters, you heard Seung Hyun come downstairs.

“It’s awfully quiet down here.” he said as he came into the living room and sat down on the opposite end of the couch.

You marked your place and looked up at him. “Nap time.” you explained.

“Ah. Well, I had something I wanted to give you. A sort of welcome gift, if you will.” he held out a small white box out to you.

“You really shouldn’t have.” you said with a blush as you took it from him. “But thank you.”

“Would it make you feel better if it was job related?” he asked with a goofy smile. “Because it is.”

“I guess that makes it a tad better.” You opened the box to reveal a brand new smartphone.

“I want you to be able to get in touch any time you need to.” he explained. “It already has numbers programmed into it. Mine, Hye Yoon, my mother, my driver and the last one is my work. I’d appreciate it if you’d save that last one for emergencies only.”

“Oh, of course.” you nodded.

“But I’d like it very much if you’d send me pictures and updates during the day if I’m not here. It would make my day go by so much faster and give me something to look forward to.” he said earnestly.

“I can do that.” you said with a smile. “Why do I need the drivers number though?”

“Well, I just thought… if you needed to go anywhere. He can usually be here within 30 minutes or so. That way, you don’t have to walk everywhere or take a taxi.” he stumbled over his explanation.

“Sorry. I just… I’m still getting used to all the things you have access to.” you told him.

“Speaking of access…” he reached into the pocket of his shirt and pulled out a credit card and held it out to you.

“Oh, no…” you shook your head adamantly. “I’m not taking that.”

“It’s on it’s own separate account.” he said, still holding the card out to you. “It’s not for personal use, if that’s what you’re thinking. I just want you to have it in case you need to buy something for Yeon Jun or if you want to take him out somewhere.”

You just sat there, still refusing to take the card.

“Please?” he looked at you with imploring eyes. “Even if you never have to use it, I’ll feel better knowing you have it, just in case.”

“Oh, fine.” you said with an exasperated huff as you took the card from him. Right then and there, you learned a very important lesson. Looking into Seung Hyun’s eyes was dangerous. “Does that end the gifting session? Because I honestly don’t think I can take much more.” you teased.

Seung Hyun laughed. “Yes, I’m done. For now… I uh, I’ve got a business lunch in about an hour and I doubt I’ll be back home until late tonight.” he told you as he stood up and headed back towards the stairs.

“Okay. I’ll find something to do with myself.” you said as you cracked your book open and began to read again.

Later that afternoon, you took a picture of Yeon Jun as he was playing with some cars and sent it to Seung Hyun. Within 5 minutes he had replied with a picture of his own. It looked as if he were in an office building of some sort. The message with it read, “What he is doing looks much more fun than what I’m stuck with. - ___-“

The rest of your first week went rather smoothly. Little did you know that you were about to face an invasion…


	6. Cookie Invasion pt. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. This story contains fictional representations of real people. None of the events are true. This is from an American standpoint, so some of the situations may not happen the same way they might in Korea. I make no money from the writing of this fictional work.

Monday morning you awoke to another post it note on the mostly full coffee pot.  
‘Early day. Be home after lunch.’

You began your day just like the others, a cup of coffee followed by a shower and waiting for Yeon Jun. Today you had a special treat for him though. After his nap, you were planning to bake cookies with him.

That is how you found yourself, bustling around the kitchen gathering the needed supplies as the boy slept. Seung Hyun had been home for about an hour by now, but he was upstairs. You had just tied your apron around your waist as the doorbell rang. You rushed to answer it before they could ring a second time and risk waking Yeon Jun.

You opened the door to find a drop dead gorgeous man in expensive looking, yet edgy clothes standing on the other side.

“Can I help you?” you asked him.

You saw his eyebrows climb as you spoke to him in perfect Korean. “Uh, yeah… I, uh… I needed to see Seung Hyun.” he said.

You stepped back from the door and gestured him inside. “He’s upstairs. I’ll just go get him for you.” you told him as he slid off his shoes.

He snapped his fingers. “Ah, I got it! You’re the new Nanny, right?” he asked you while flashing you the most dazzling smile you had ever seen in your entire life.

You smiled back at him. “That’s me.” You bowed to him as you said, “I’m ________, by the way.”

He returned the bow and held out his hand for you to shake. “I’m Ji Yong.” he started to say something else, but was interrupted by a squeal of delight from behind you.

“Jiyongie!!!” Yeon Jun yelled excitedly as he ran into the room. You sighed in defeat as you realized that nap time was over.

“Hey there, munchkin!” Ji Yong smiled and bent down to ruffle the boys hair.

“If you don’t mind, hanging out with him for a moment.” you gestured to Yeon Jun. “I’ll go fetch Seung Hyun.”

“Sure thing.” Ji Yong told you with a smile.

You heard Yeon Jun giggle as you headed upstairs in search of Seung Hyun. The door to his office was open, so you stuck your head in there first, only to find it empty. You turned back to the bedroom door, to see that it was open as well. You looked inside, and had to stop the laugh that bubbled up as you saw Seung Hyun passed out face first on the bed. You just couldn’t bring yourself to wake him and went back downstairs to tell Ji Yong so.

“Not a problem.” he said with a laugh. “I know how he feels. I can just come back…”

“No!” Yeon Jun whined. “You should come and bake cookies with us while you wait for samchon to be done with his nap!” he had hold of Ji Yong’s hand and was frantically trying to pull the bigger man towards the kitchen.

Ji Yong shot you an amused look. “Would you mind?”

“Well, no…” you looked at him dubiously. “Have you ever baked cookies before?” you asked as you started for the kitchen.

“Yeah, sure. A few times… with my mom. It’s been a while though.” he said walking into the kitchen as he rolled up his sleeves and you tossed him an apron. He caught it easily. “How hard can it be?” he asked as he tied the apron around himself.

An hour later found the three of you in the middle of a slightly messy kitchen. Ji Yong was plunking spoonfuls of batter down onto a baking sheet while you were trying to keep Yeon Jun from eating raw cookie dough. The timer beeped and you turned to take the first batch out of the oven when you heard the kitchen door swing open behind you.

“What the…” Seung Hyun said in confusion.

“Hey, hyung!” Ji Yong said with a smile.

“Samchon, you’re awake!” Yeon Jun said. “Nanny and I are making cookies with Jiyongie!”

“I can see that.” Seung Hyun deadpanned, still a bit confused at the sight before him.

“I came over to bring you some work stuff. But you were passed out.” Ji Yong teased. “The munchkin here wanted me to stay. How could I refuse?”

“Can I have a cookie now?” Yeon Jun asked you hopefully.

“Not yet, Rabbit. They have to cool down a bit first. We’ll clean up the kitchen while we wait.” you explained gently.

“Okay…” he frowned.

“Work stuff?” Seung Hyun asked Ji Yong.

“Oh, yeah!” Ji Yong said as he untied the apron and handed it back to you with that same blinding smile on his face. “Thanks, _______ -ah. I had a really good time.”

“Anytime.” you told him as you felt a blush form on your cheeks.

“I don’t pay extra for babysitting Ji Yong.” Seung Hyun said, winking at you as he pulled the man in question out of the kitchen as you laughed.

“Hyung!” Ji Yong protested.

“Come on, Yeon Jun. Let’s get this mess sorted out.” you said, handing the boy a damp cloth.

“Ji Yong…” Seung Hyun growled as the two of them walked up the stairs. “I forbid you to seduce my Nanny.”

“What are you talking about, hyung? I was just having some fun…” Ji Yong began.

“I’m serious.” the taller man said as they entered the office and he shut the door.

“It’s weird though…” Ji Yong continued as if he hadn’t even heard Seung Hyun & he sat down in a chair in front of the desk. “The whole time she just treated me like a normal person. She didn’t even ask for an autograph.”

Seung Hyun pinched the bridge of his nose as he sat down opposite Ji Yong, behind the desk. “She doesn’t know.” he said with a sigh.

“What?!?” Ji Yong exclaimed.

“Keep your voice down!” Seung Hyun admonished. “She. Doesn’t. Know.” he bit out, crisply stressing each word.

“About you? Who you are?” Ji Yong asked in disbelief.

“No… none of it. Not about me. Or you for that matter…” Seung Hyun said tiredly.

“Wow. I just thought she was used to working with high profile families or something. I had no idea…” Ji Yong trailed off.

“Now you understand?” Seung Hyun asked him.

“Yeah… yeah, I get it hyung.” Ji Yong said with a smile. “It was really nice just being Ji Yong for a while instead of G-Dragon.”

Seung Hyun exhaled in relief. “Exactly.”

“You do realize that she’s going to find out eventually, right?” Ji Yong said, suddenly serious.

“Yeah.” Seung Hyun sighed. “But, hopefully it will be on my terms when she does. Until then, I’m going to enjoy this while I’ve got it.”

There was a timid knock on the door. “It’s open.” Seung Hyun called out.

You opened the door and walked in balancing a tray that had a plate of cookies and two glasses of milk. You set it down on the desk and then began to walk back out of the room.

“Sorry to bother you, but it didn’t seem right for Ji Yong to not get to enjoy the fruits of his labor.” you said, smiling at them both. “Come see me before you leave and I’ll give you some to take home.” you told Ji Yong as you shut the door behind you, leaving the men to their 'work stuff’.

Later that night, at the studio, Ji Yong was munching on a cookie and working on some lyrics as Young Bae came into the room.

“Hey!” he exclaimed. “Where’d you get the cookies?”

“Seung Hyun’s new nanny.” Ji Yong answered automatically before he realized what he’d done. “Oh, shit! I shouldn’t have told you that…”


	7. The Cookie Invasion pt. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. This story contains fictional representations of real people. None of the events are true. This is from an American standpoint, so some of the situations may not happen the same way they might in Korea. I make no money from the writing of this fictional work.

The day after Ji Yong’s surprise visit and cookie making session had been a completely normal day. Wednesday, however, was a totally different story.

About 30 minutes after Yeon Jun had already left for the day, the doorbell rang. You were just coming back downstairs after changing out of your uniform. Now you were wearing jeans and a t-shirt. You had also let your hair down into a low ponytail. After chasing a five year old all day, all you wanted was to be comfortable.

This time when you opened the door, there was an incredibly athletic looking man on the other side. He was dressed similarly to the way Ji Yong had been, but this style was less high end fashion. He wore a tight black t-shirt, ripped jeans and sneakers.

“Can I help you?” you asked in Korean, just as you had with Ji Yong.

“I……uh…..” he started blushing before bowing to you. “Sorry to bother you, but is Seung Hyun at home?” It was rather adorable how shy he seemed to be.

“Not yet.” you told him. “But he just texted me not too long ago that he was on his way. He should be here in the next half hour or so. Would you like to come in and wait?” you asked him, gesturing inside.

“That would be great!” he said with a smile.

As you closed the door behind him, you said “I’m __________. Seung Hyun’s nephew’s nanny. Pleased to meet you.” and you bowed, then held out your hand.

He took your hand and shook it as he bowed again. “Young Bae. Dong Young Bae.”

“Well, Young Bae. Would you care for some cookies while you wait?” you asked as you started to walk towards the kitchen.

“Cookies sound wonderful!” he replied with childlike enthusiasm as he practically bounced into the kitchen after you.

Forty five minutes of pleasant conversation later, you heard the front door close. Knowing that it was most likely Seung Hyun, you called out, “We’re in the kitchen!”

A few minutes later, the door swung open and Seung Hyun walked in. “We? What do you mean…” his playful voice trailed off as his eyes landed on Young Bae, who was seated across from you at the small table. “Young Bae.” he said to the man with a serious looking nod.

“Hyung.” Young Bae tried to say around a mouthful of cookie as he nodded back.

Seung Hyun just arched an eyebrow at him. “Let me guess…work stuff?”

Young Bae nodded.

“Follow me then.” Seung Hyun said with a sigh and both men left the kitchen. You made sure to pack a little plastic container of cookies for Young Bae to take with him when he left before starting to prepare dinner.

Thursday afternoon, about an hour after Yeon Jun’s nap was over, there was a knock on the door. As the two of you were sitting in the living room and watching cartoons, you weren’t even sure that was what you heard the first time. But when you heard it again, you got up to answer it.

Opening the door this time brought you face to face with yet another lovely man. This one dressed somewhat in between the two extremes before. It wasn’t fresh off the runway but it wasn’t casual either.

“Can I help you?” you asked, yet again, in Korean as you tried not to laugh.

He bowed. “Hi! I’m Kang Daesung. Nice to meet you, _________ -ah!”

You smiled as he breezed past you and into the house, noting that he had said your name, even though you hadn’t actually introduced yourself. The man was talking rapidly as he slid his shoes off by the door.

“I’m sorry for knocking, but I thought Yeon Jun might be napping and I didn’t want to wake him.” he explained.

‘Bless this man!’ you thought to yourself. But what you said was, “Thanks. That’s very considerate of you. He’s actually awake though.”

As if on cue, Yeon Jun came into the entryway. “Daesungie!” he squealed as he saw the man & began running towards him. Daesung just caught him and easily swung him up into his arms for a hug.

“Hey there, little man!”

“Did you come over to bake cookies with us like Jiyongie did? Cause we’re not baking cookies today.” the little boy told him.

“Well, uh… no, not exactly. I wanted to meet your new Nanny.” he said with a wink as he smiled at you. “Although, I wouldn’t mind trying a cookie if there are any left. Young Bae said they taste really good!”

Yeon Jun looked at you as he still sat in the other man’s arms. “Young Bae was here and I missed it?” he sounded heartbroken at the thought.

“He came over after you left yesterday. Sorry, Rabbit.” you reached over and patted his shoulder.

“Awwwww, man!” he pouted. “I love it when he… when he…. um.” He turned to Daesung and whispered to him. “What’s it called?”

Daesung leaned forward and whispered back. “Bench press.”

“Yeah, that’s it! I love it when he bench presses me!” Yeon Jun said.

This time you couldn’t stop the laugh. “Come on, boys. Cookies are in the kitchen.”

Daesung and Yeon Jun were both long gone by the time Seung Hyun made it home from work.

Friday found you on pins and needles, waiting for the doorbell to ring again. Somehow you just knew that the invasion of good looking men that had started your week wasn’t over quite yet. This time, the doorbell went off just after you had sent Yeon Jun to pick out a book to read before nap time while you cleaned up after lunch.

You sighed and wiped your hands on your apron as you went to answer the door. Just as you had suspected, yet another handsome man was on the other side.

Before you could say anything, he reached forward and took your hand, bowing over it and kissing it lightly. “Lee Seung Hyun, at your service.” He stood back up and flashed you a wicked smile and a wink. “But everyone calls me Seungri. Pleased to meet you, _________ -ah.”

He walked right by you and into the house, as you just stood there, flabbergasted by his suaveness. “I hear there’s cookies to be had?” he asked with a mischevious grin.

You shut the door and walked past him, back into the dining room so you could finish cleaning up the dishes from lunch. “Yes, but you’ll have to wait until Yeon Jun has his story and I get him down for his nap.” you explained to Seungri as he followed you like a lost puppy.

You heard Yeon Jun’s footsteps plodding down the hallway. As he came into the dining room & saw Seungri, his face broke out into a wide grin. “Hey, Panda! I can’t play right now. It’s story time.” he explained as he held up the book he had chosen.

“Tell you what…” Seungri said to you. “I’ll read him a story and get him tucked in while you finish with this & get the cookies.”

Yeon Jun clapped his hands. “Really, Panda? You’re gonna read me a story?”

“Well, that’s very kind of you…” you said. “But, um… the book is in English.”

“Not a problem.” Seungri said smoothly, in perfect English with just a trace of accent. Then he turned to Yeon Jun and took his hand, leading him out of the room. “Come on, dude. Let’s go read this thing. What did you pick out anyway?”

“The Cat in the Hat!” Yeon Jun squealed excitedly.

Thirty minutes later, Seungri came into the kitchen and plopped down tiredly into a chair at the table. “Man… that little guy is just one big ball of energy! I don’t know how you deal with it all day.”

You smiled as you set a plate of cookies and a glass of milk down in front of him.

“Here… the cookies help.” you said with an amused chuckle.

Late that night, long after you had gone to bed, Seung Hyun crept downstairs. As much as he wanted to, he just couldn’t fall asleep. So he came down to the kitchen to get himself a midnight snack. After heating up some milk, he reached his hand into the cookie jar… only to come up empty-handed .

“Hey… what the hell happened to all the cookies?!?”


	8. Story Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Maybe the slightest bit of angst… if you tilt your head sideways and squint a little 
> 
> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. This story contains fictional representations of real people. None of the events are true. This is from an American standpoint, so some of the situations may not happen the same way they might in Korea. I make no money from the writing of this fictional work.

A couple weeks after what you had dubbed “The Cookie Invasion”, you were getting ready to read Yeon Jun a story before his nap when Seung Hyun came home unexpectedly. You had just settled into the De Sede chair with the boy on your lap when you heard the front door open.

When Seung Hyun stepped into the living room Yeon Jun happily called out to him. “Samchon!” He wiggled out of your lap and ran over to his uncle who swept him up into a hug. “Nanny’s going to read to me before my nap.” the boy told him.

“Really?” Seung Hyun asked him before he turned to you. “Mind if I join you?” he asked tiredly.

“Not at all. Although, I don’t think there’s room for you on my lap.” you teased automatically, before you even had a chance to think about what you were saying. You clapped a hand over your mouth in embarrassment as Seung Hyun let out a loud bark of laughter. “I…. I am so sorry!” you apologized as you felt your cheeks warm.

“Don’t be.” he said as he sat down on the sofa with Yeon Jun in his lap. “After the day I’ve had, I needed that laugh.”

Seung Hyun was still chuckling quietly as you began to read “Horton Hears a Who”. You were amazed at how quickly he became absorbed in listening to a story meant for children. But then it occurred to you that he had probably never heard it before. He insisted on examining all of the illustrations before letting you continue and turn the page.

Once the book was finished, you gathered up Yeon Jun. He had fallen asleep in his uncles arms about two thirds of the way through, but Seung Hyun had been enjoying the story so much that you had finished it for him anyway. You carried the boy to his room and tucked him in, all the while mentally berating yourself for your earlier offhand comment.

When you came back into the living room, Seung Hyun was standing at the sideboard and pouring himself a generous amount of amber liquid into a highball glass.

“That bad, huh?” you asked him, gesturing to the glass.

“Yeah.” he sighed heavily & took a sip before turning to face you.

“Want me to make you some lunch?” you asked.

“You don’t have to…” he said as he walked over to you in three long strides.

“I know.” you smiled at him. “I want to. Give me twenty minutes.” you turned to head towards the kitchen.

“Bring it up to the office, okay?” he told you as he walked towards the stairs.

“Okay.” you said as you went through the kitchen door.

After preparing a tray with a light lunch and a bottle of water, you headed upstairs. The office door was open, so you just walked in. Seung Hyun was sitting behind the desk and frowning at the computer screen. You set the tray down gently on the desk.

“Here you go.” you told him and immediately started back out the door.

“_________ -ah, wait a minute.” he gestured to a chair. “I have to talk to you.”

You stopped in your tracks and sighed as you turned back around and sat down. You knew that your comment earlier would get you into trouble. Me and my big mouth… you thought.

“Look…” you began before he could say anything. “I really am sorry about what I said earlier. It was out of line and totally unprofessional. I just spoke before I thought.” you said as you looked down, wringing your hands in your lap.

He stopped looking at the screen then and looked at you instead, confusion on his face for a second before he realized what you were talking about. After figuring it out, he waved a hand at you dismissively.

“Ah, that… Like I said, don’t worry about it.” He took the napkin off the tray and placed it in his lap as he looked over what you had brought him approvingly. “It was actually kind of cute.”

Your head popped up in disbelief when he said that, only to have him flash you a smile and a cheeky wink, which made you laugh.

“There, that’s better.” he reached over to the printer to retrieve something that had just finished being printed. “You’re even prettier when you laugh.” he said as he handed you the paper.

You blushed as you took the paper and began to scan its contents. It took you a minute to realize that it was a list of dates, all color coded… blue for “Home” and red for “Away”. There were a lot more red dates on the page than blue.

It must’ve taken you a while, because Seung Hyun’s voice broke through your thoughts as you tried to process the information.

“Can you not read it?” he teased, but there was a tinge of worry in his voice as well. “I remember being told explicitly that you read Hangeul. Did Mr. Wilson lie to me?” he asked with an arch of his eyebrow.

“No, he didn’t lie. I can read Hangeul. It just takes me a minute to process what I read. I worked mostly on being able to speak Korean so reading took a bit of a backseat.” you explained.

“Well,” he said with a sigh. “What you’re looking at is the reason I hired you in the first place. Beginning next month, I’m going to be gone… a lot.”

You simply nodded in understanding while continuing to read over the dates. “Jeez… this is the better part of a year if you add it all up.” You said disbelievingly, then looked up at him.

“I know.” he frowned. “I don’t like it, but there’s nothing to be done about it now.”

“I’m guessing this,” you held up the paper. “Is the reason for your bad day?”

“Yes. The dates were just confirmed today.” he said with a nod. “I’ve known it was coming for a while though, which is why you’re here. Hye Yoon has been working so hard and my mother can’t really look after Yeon Jun on any long term basis. Public preschool wasn’t an option, so I decided to find a Nanny.”

“Can I ask you something?” you said. He merely nodded his head for you to continue. “When I first came for my trial period, I remember you saying something about ‘others’ not being able to speak Korean fluently. What others?”

You saw surprise cross his features, followed quickly by amusement. “Mr. Wilson didn’t tell you?”

You just shook your head side to side, mutely. Seung Hyun started laughing then before leaning his arms on the desk with a dangerous mischief in his eyes.

“You were the eighth nanny from the fourth different agency that we interviewed.” he explained quietly. “I have very high standards.”

To say you were shocked by this revelation would have been the understatement of the century. “I… um… thank you for choosing me then.”

He shook his head as he swallowed the bite he had just taken. “I didn’t. Yeon Jun did. Clearly, he takes after me and has excellent taste.” he gestured to his lunch. “This is really good, ________-ah. Thank you.” he flashed you that dangerous smile again which just made you completely flustered.

“You’re welcome. Anytime.” you stammered as you stood up. “I should probably head back downstairs before he wakes up.” you said as you backed out of the room. “I… uh, I’ll come back for the tray later.”

You headed quickly down the stairs and made it to the bottom before leaning heavily against a wall and taking some deep breaths.

This can’t be happening… you thought. I can’t be falling for him… you sighed. But he’s just so… arrrrgh! You were so incredibly frustrated with yourself. Luckily you didn’t have time to think about it as you heard Yeon Jun beginning to wake up & you headed off to do your job, banishing all thoughts of your incredibly sexy boss from your mind.

Seung Hyun watched as you backed out of the office hurriedly. He merely shook his head at your clearly agitated state and returned to eating his lunch. He had taken about two bites when the spoon he had been using clattered to the tray as he came to a realization. 'Oh man… I was seriously flirting with her.' He thought. 'After what she said earlier, it was just so effortless. And she’s so damn adorable when she blushes.' He sighed as he picked up his spoon and began to eat again, still thinking. 'There’s just something about her… she’s so good with Yeon Jun, the Dongsaeng’s all like her, she’s a great cook. I haven’t felt this way since… he closed his eyes for a moment against the pain that thought delivered. No… I’m not thinking about that. I guess I’ll just have to see where this goes.'

Later that night you were seated at your desk entering the dates from the printout onto your wall calendar, keeping the color code of red and blue. You frowned at all the red “X's” that marred the glossy paper. You had gotten used to seeing Seung Hyun at least a few times a week. It was going to be lonely for you with him gone. Oh well. You thought as you hung the calendar back on the wall. Maybe distance is just the thing I need to work through this silly crush…


	9. Ice Cream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. This story contains fictional representations of real people. None of the events are true. This is from an American standpoint, so some of the situations may not happen the same way they might in Korea. I make no money from the writing of this fictional work.
> 
> Suggested Listening: Ice Cream - Sarah McLachlan

You’d been in Seoul for a little more than a month before you felt comfortable enough to take Yeon Jun on a little outing. While he’d been napping, you had used the internet to research possible places that the two of you could go. Since it would be the first time, you wanted something fairly close by and something that wouldn’t take too terribly long. The idea was to start small, see how it went, and possibly work your way up to longer activities like maybe a museum or playground.

Scanning the page on your laptop, you finally managed to find what you were looking for. ’Ice cream… yeah, I can manage that.’ you thought. The ice cream shop was only a couple blocks from the villa and the two of you could easily walk there and back.

Smiling to yourself, you hurried upstairs to change. There was a strict policy in your contract about how you were expected to dress. If you were going anywhere in public with your charge, you had to dress in your formal uniform.

You managed to get dressed, re-do your hair and apply a little bit of make up. Just as you were coming down the stairs, Yeon Jun poked his head out of the playroom, his eyes going wide when he saw you.

“Nanny? Why did you change clothes?” he asked, slightly frightened.

You realized that the last time he had seen you in this uniform had been when you were leaving and it was obvious that he was a little scared that’s what was going on now. You knelt down before him, so you were on his level.

“Well, we’ve been together for a whole month now.” you explained. “I thought we could do something special to celebrate.”

“Really?” his wariness faded to be replaced by excitement. “Like what?”

“How about we go out for ice cream?” you smiled as you asked him.

“Right now?” he asked, the hope evident in his voice.

“Yes.” you chuckled as you stood up and held your hand out for his. “Right now.”

He giggled as the two of you raced to the front door and slipped on your shoes. You took a moment to get your hat on, as well as a sun hat for him. Then you rummaged around in your bag for your gloves. Once you got those on and had your bag secured on your arm you both left the villa, still hand in hand.

No sooner had you had taken a few steps outside than the wall of heat hit you full force. Summer in Seoul was somewhat on the verge of ridiculously hot. As you stepped out onto the sidewalk proper, you caught some movement out of the corner of your eye. At the edge of the property stood a small group of girls peering at the two of you curiously. Standing in front of them, were two men dressed in suits. They glanced at you and then nodded to each other wordlessly & one of them broke away to follow you.

You tried your best to ignore it and keep walking, but you still looked over your shoulder a few times. Yeon Jun caught you at it & glanced back behind you, still holding tightly to your hand.

“Don’t worry, Nanny.” he gave you hand a reassuring squeeze. “It’s just a guard.” he explained as if such things were perfectly normal.

Well, perhaps to him they were perfectly normal. You tried not to think too hard about what Seung Huyn did for a living that you needed a security guard to take his nephew for ice cream. You figured it was just something that you would have to get used to.

Walking to the ice cream shop took a little longer than you had expected, with Yeon Jun stopping along the way a few times to point out things that he found interesting or pretty. Soon you had two rocks and a small feather that he had given you in the pockets of your skirt, along with a flower tucked into the band of your hat. Each time you stopped, the guard did too. Although he kept a slight distance between you and tried his best to be as unobtrusive as possible, which you silently thanked him for.

You finally reached your destination and stepped into the shop. The blast of cold air from the AC hitting your face felt amazingly refreshing. You’d taken a few steps inside then turned back around only to realize that the guard had taken up a post outside the store. You sighed to yourself and poked your head back out the door, speaking to him for the first time.

“You’ve followed us this far, you may as well come in.” you told him with a smile. He jumped slightly as you spoke, as he’d been looking down the street.

“Uh… are you sure Miss?” he seemed genuinely confused.

“Come on! I’ll even get you something, my treat.” and you popped back into the store herding Yeon Jun over to the counter and lifting him up so he could see the flavors available. You heard the bell on the door jingle a few moments later and turned your head to see the guard standing there sheepishly. Turning your attention back to Yeon Jun, you pointed to the ice cream you liked.

“Okay, Rabbit. That one is my favorite, so that’s what I’m getting. How about you? Which flavor do you like?” you asked.

He screwed up his features in an adorable look of concentration before finally pointing at a bright blue concoction. “That one!” he said excitedly. You leaned forward and saw that it was blueberry flavored.

Turning back to the guard, you asked him “And for you?”

“Um… a bottle of water would be nice, if it’s not too much trouble.” he answered shyly.

“Is that all?” you asked, surprised. He just nodded. “Would you mind sitting with Yeon Jun while I get our ice cream?” you pointed to a table in the far corner. He shook his head and you set the boy down & watched them walk over to the table and sit.

When you walked over to the counter, you noticed that the lady in the apron standing behind it looked vaguely familiar to you.

“I was wondering how long it would take you to find me.” she told you with a smile.

“Oh my goodness…” you finally figured it out. “You’re the nice lady from the plane!” you said in excitement.

“Good to see you again.” she said with a slight bow to you. “What would you like?”

You ordered two cones of ice cream and a bottle of water. Once she had gotten your order for you, she said. “You should come back on your own sometime, without the boy and his uncle so we can catch up.”

“Uncle?” you looked behind you, thinking that Seung Hyun had somehow made it into the shop without you noticing, but only saw Yeon Jun and the guard. “Oh…. that’s not the uncle. It’s our security guard.” you explained.

She raised an eyebrow in question. “Security guard?”

You simply shrugged. “I have no idea… but thanks. I’ll be sure to come by soon.” you said with a smile as you took the things to the table and sat down.

You had finished your ice cream and were waiting for Yeon Jun to be done when your phone rang, it was Seung Hyun.

“Hello.” you answered with a smile.

“I just got home, only to find the house empty. Where are you?” he asked, sounding a little concerned.

“Yeon Jun and I went out for ice cream.” you told him. “We’re only two blocks away from the villa. Don’t worry, we’ve got a guard.”

“You do?” the surprise was evident in his voice. “How did you get there?”

“We walked and he followed us.” you explained.

“You walked?!?” he was incredulous now. “In this heat? I’ll send a car to pick you up.” and he hung up.

You just shook your head at his concern. Looking over at Yeon Jun, you saw that he had his face and hands covered in a blue, sticky mess and you couldn’t help but laugh. You quickly took a picture with your phone and sent it to Seung Hyun. Then you started digging around in your bag for some wet wipes to clean the boy up with. “Apparently, he’s sending a car to pick us up.” you told the guard.

“I’ll just wait outside then.” he said as he stood up. “Thanks for the water, miss.” and he walked out the door.

You managed to get Yeon Jun fairly clean by the time the car arrived. Then the two of you picked out an ice cream surprise to take Seung Hyun and another bottle of water for the second guard who had stayed behind.

Once you’d arrived at the villa, you bid the guards goodbye & hid Seung Hyun’s surprise in your bag.

Yeon Jun immediately ran for the playroom, completely bypassing his surprised Uncle. You walked into the living room, bag still in hand, only to be confronted by a grumpy looking Seung Hyun.

“You got ice cream without me.” he pouted, arms crossed over his chest.

“It’s not like I knew you were coming home in the middle of the day.” you chuckled as you walked towards him. “Besides… it was an anniversary gift for Yeon Jun.”

“Anniversary gift?” he sounded thoroughly confused.

“Yes.” you explained. “I’ve been his Nanny for just over a month now. I thought we should celebrate.”

Seung Hyun smiled at that. “If that’s the case…” he paused and waggled his eyebrows at you. “Then it’s our anniversary as well. Just over a month that we’ve known each other.”

“Well…” you laughed as you reached into your bag. “When you put it like that…” you removed the container of ice cream and held it out to him.

His entire face lit up in joy as he happily plucked the ice cream from your hands. “Ice cream!” he exclaimed in delight. “Thanks, ________ -ah!” he called over his shoulder as he made a beeline for the kitchen to get himself a spoon.

You merely shook your head as you walked towards the hallway to the playroom.

'Honestly, sometimes it’s like looking after two children…'

*****************************************************************************************************************

Your love  
Is better than ice cream.  
Better than anything else that I’ve tried  
And your love  
Is better than ice cream  
Everyone here knows how to cry

And it’s a long way down  
It’s a long way down  
It’s a long way  
Down to the place where we started from.

~Sarah McLachlan – Ice Cream


	10. Casual Domesticity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. This story contains fictional representations of real people. None of the events are true. This is from an American standpoint, so some of the situations may not happen the same way they might in Korea. I make no money from the writing of this fictional work.

Seung Hyun opened the front door to the villa after a month and a half of being away and was instantly greeted by the delicious smells of something cooking that were wafting in the air. He started to call out to you, to let you know that he was home a couple days sooner than expected. But the sound coming from the kitchen stopped him dead in his tracks. Something dreadfully familiar was blasting through the villa… the opening riff for “Sober” & soon enough he heard Ji Yong’s voice come through the speakers.

Damn… he thought. She’s figured me out. I thought I’d have longer. He sighed heavily as he crossed through the house and opened the kitchen door.

You were totally oblivious to the door to the villa even having been opened as you were currently absorbed in your cooking and the music coming from the radio. The villa had a tendency to get eerily quiet with just you there & you had found that music helped fill the void. But when the door to the kitchen unexpectedly swung open you couldn’t help the small scream that escaped you as you turned to face your intruder.

“Good grief, Seung Hyun-ssi!” you yelled as you reached over to turn the radio off. After doing that you held a hand to your chest to try and calm your rapidly beating heart. “You scared me to death… I thought you were going to be two more days?”

“I finished up a little earlier than I thought.” he lied smoothly. Truth was that he had begged & pleaded and more or less threatened until he had been given an earlier flight out of China. All because he had missed you… even though he hadn’t had the courage to admit that to you just yet. He tilted his head at the radio. “What were you listening to?”

You shrugged as you turned back to the stove to tend the food. “No clue… just whatever was on the local station.”

He smiled a cat like grin to himself. Ah, so I do have a little more time before she finds out. He walked over to you and peered over your shoulder. “What’s for dinner?” he asked.

You tried your best not to show just how affected you were by having him so close. He’d been gone for so long, and yet here he was, strolling in out of the blue and standing so near to you that he was almost touching. Almost… but not quite.

“It’s… um… nothing fancy. Just a salad nicoise. Sort of…” you explained.

“Sort of? How can you sort of make salad nicoise?” he asked in an amused tone of voice.

“Well… I hate capers, so those are out. And I’m using leftover potatoes from yesterday, which means that I’ve flattened them & I’m reheating and crisping them in this pan. See?” you pointed to the pan where little mounds of smashed whole potatoes were sizzling. “Also, I’m baking some tuna, because I don’t really like the tinned stuff.”

“Interesting… is there enough for two?” he asked, still not having moved away from you.

“Yeah, sure. It’ll be done in about 30 minutes.” you said as you flipped the potatoes.

“Good, I can have a quick shower and get changed then.” he said as he finally began to move away from you.

You had turned back around to face him when his words about changing clothes filtered through your brain. Only then did it register with you what you had been wearing this entire time. With Seung Hyun gone, you had taken to wearing tank tops and yoga pants around the house in the evenings. Needless to say, what you had on was rather scandalous by Korean standards. You gasped and the spatula that you’d been holding in your hand clattered to the floor as you attempted to cover your chest and shoulders with your arms.

He only looked at you curiously. “What? What’s the matter?”

“I…. I’m sorry. I’m so inappropriately dressed. I just… thought I’d be alone and…” you didn’t get to finish that sentence as he crossed the kitchen and held a finger to your lips to stop your babbling.

“Shhh… it’s fine. I’m a modern Korean man and it doesn’t bother me. Now, if we were in public…” he shrugged. “That would be a different story. But you have a right to be comfortable in your own home.” he paused, finger still to your lips. “Within reason of course.” he winked at you, turned and walked out of the kitchen without another word.

Your knees felt wobbly as you bent to retrieve the spatula from the floor so you could wash it. As you began to finish preparing dinner, you smiled as you touched your fingers to your lips where his finger had been just moments earlier.

After bringing up his luggage, Seung Hyun took the fastest cold shower of his life. He hadn’t really been paying attention to what you’d been wearing until you pointed it out to him. But once he’d noticed…

He shook his head as if to clear the scandalous thoughts from his brain. He dressed casually and quickly, deciding to leave his feet bare. If you were going to be comfortable, then so was he.

He slipped downstairs and into the dining room, where he placed a small gift bag onto the floor, pushing it up under the table to hide it a little. Then he headed to the kitchen to choose a bottle of wine to accompany the meal.

You were just pulling the tuna out of the oven when he walked through the kitchen door.

“Almost done?” he asked, as he walked over to where he kept the wine.

“Yeah.” you set the baking tray down on the stove top. “I already plated the salads… just have to flake the tuna and top them off.” you looked up at him then. Thank goodness his back was to you because you could not help the way your jaw dropped open at the sight in front of you. Seung Hyun stood there in gray sweats and a white t-shirt with bare feet, his hair still slightly damp. You felt your mouth begin to water… and it had absolutely nothing to do with the food. He started to turn back around and you hurriedly looked away, busying yourself with completing the meal.

Seung Hyun began to walk out of the kitchen, wine and glasses in hand. “I’ll just go uncork this. Can you manage to bring the salads on your own?” he asked as he backed out the door.

“Uh, yeah… sure.” you stammered, still trying to adjust to this new found casualness between the two of you.

“That has to be the best ‘almost salad nicoise’ I’ve ever had.” Seung Hyun said as he pushed his mostly empty plate away and took a drink of his wine.

“Oh?” you asked playfully. “And where else have you had 'almost salad nicoise’? Because I’m pretty sure that I just invented it.”

He laughed and stuck his tongue out at you. “You know what I mean. Aish… can’t even give you a compliment!”

The two of you had spent the past hour eating and chatting. He’d told you about his travels and you had talked to him about the strides Yeon Jun was making in learning English. He reached over and topped off your empty wine glass.

“Thanks.” you said before taking another sip. “This wine is really quite good.”

“Of course it is. I picked it out.” he told you proudly while you merely rolled your eyes at his smugness.

“Hey, if that’s the way you’re going to be… I won’t give you the present I brought.” he said haughtily.

“Present?” you perked up and set your wineglass down. “What present?”

He chuckled and reached under the table, retrieving the bag he had placed earlier. He set it down on the table and nudged it towards you.

“I saw this while I was in China and it made me think of you.” he said. Truth be told, a lot of things he had seen while he had been gone made him think of you. He had wished that you had been there, sharing in the experience with him. “It’s not much…”

“It’s perfect!” you exclaimed as you pulled the gift, still wrapped in tissue from the bag.

“You haven’t even seen it yet.” Seung Hyun said, sounding amused.

“But you bought it… especially for me… so, it’s perfect.” you stuck your tongue out at him mimicking his earlier actions. But all thoughts of teasing him fled your mind as you unwrapped what had to be one of the most beautiful silk scarves you had ever seen. It was barely a pale pink color with a pattern of cherry blossoms and a small light blue border. “Seung Hyun-ssi!” you gasped. “It’s gorgeous!” you ran your fingers over the smooth fabric lovingly. “Thank you.”

“I’m glad you like it.” was all he said as he stood and began to collect the dirty dinner plates. Inside however, he was beaming because you had obviously liked his gift. “You cooked, I’ll wash up.”

You quickly re-wrapped the scarf and placed it back in the bag as you stood to help him. “You don’t have to do that.” you said as you reached to take the plates from him. “You must be tired from your flight.”

He merely smirked at you as he refused to let them go, “Together then?”

You smiled. “Yeah… I like the sound of that. Together.”


	11. Mistaken "Date"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. This story contains fictional representations of real people. None of the events are true. This is from an American standpoint, so some of the situations may not happen the same way they might in Korea. I make no money from the writing of this fictional work.

Seung Hyun had been home for two days now and it would only be another five days until he headed back out. Since having dinner together on the day he came back, the two of you had spent the evenings sitting on the sofa just enjoying each others company. You usually read and he either spent time writing in a little notebook while listening to music or playing around on his phone. It was amazing how comfortable and normal it all felt.

Even though it was a Friday night when most people would be out and about, you were both in your preferred spots. You on one end of the sofa & him on the other, with a companionable silence stretched between you. Which was why it was slightly startling when your phone began ringing all of a sudden.

“Sorry.” you whispered to him timidly as you reached out to pluck it from the table where it sat beside your wineglass. You looked at the screen and smiled as you saw who was calling.

“Hello, goofball. What do you want?” you answered as you stood up and began to walk towards the kitchen so you wouldn’t disturb Seung Hyun with your call. You didn’t see the scowl on his face as his eyes followed you. You were also unaware of the fact that he crept after you and was listening in on your conversation from the other side of the kitchen door.

“Why do you always assume that I want something?” Seungri asked.

“Because that’s the only reason you ever call.” you told him as you laughed at his genuine confusion.

“Well… Daesung and I are going out tomorrow night and wanted to invite you along.” he told you.

“Oh… um, I don’t know.” you hesitated. “I’ve been happy just staying in with Seung Hyun the past few nights.”

Seung Hyun smiled coyly. Damn right, she’s been happy being with me! He thought to himself, still no clue who was on the other end of the phone call.

“Come on, __________ -ah!” Seungri whined. “He can’t keep you locked up in that villa all to himself!”

You giggled, “No, I suppose not. Alright, I’ll go out with you. Where are we going?”

“Clubbing baby!” he told you excitedly and the two of you began to iron out all the details.

After hearing you agree to the ‘date’ Seung Hyun felt as if he’d been slapped. He walked very slowly back over to the sofa & had just sat down when you emerged from the kitchen, phone in hand and a smile on your face. You practically skipped over to where he was and sat back down, picking up your book and beginning to read again.

He huffed loudly and gathering up his phone, notebook and wineglass, began to stalk out of the living room.

“Where are you going?” you asked, concerned at his seemingly upset state.

“Suddenly, I feel very tired. Goodnight, __________-ah.” he said brusquely as he continued to walk down the hall, not even sparing you a backwards glance.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________

The next day you hadn’t even seen Seung Hyun, as he had spent all day in his office. Since the door was closed you hadn’t disturbed him, heeding his rules. As lunchtime came and went & it crept closer to evening, you went up to your room to get ready.

You took your sweet time picking out an outfit before your shower & then after that getting ready. Your dress was perfect. While covering your entire top half in beautiful gold fabric (it even had sleeves that went down to your elbows), the bottom felt incredibly short. Your sister had convinced you to buy it years ago and even though you’d never worn it before, you’d picked it for tonight because it was perfect by Korean fashion standards. You finished it off with black tights and a black clutch with gold trim.

You carefully styled your hair so you could leave it down, something that you weren’t normally able to do because of your job. Your makeup was heavier as well, with a lovely smoky eye and nude lips. In short, you looked a far cry from the Nanny image that you put forth every day. It felt rather liberating, to say the least.

You were just headed down the stairs, heels in hand, when the doorbell rang. You practically sprinted down the last few steps to go answer it. When you passed through the living room on your way to the door, you were surprised to spot Seung Hyun starting to rise from the sofa.

“It’s for me.” you called to him over your shoulder as you hurried past him.

“I know…” he grumbled, too low for you to hear as he stalked after you, jealousy practically emanating from him.

“Goodness, look at you all dolled up!” Seungri bellowed at you as soon as you had opened the door. “Doesn’t she look fabulous?”

“You look positively beautiful _________ -ah.” Daesung said with a bow.

Seung Hyun just stood there looking at the three of you, completely confused. What he had assumed to be a 'date’ had really just been a night out with friends.

“Hey, hyung!” Seungri said to him in greeting. “Wanna come with us?”

Seung Huyn merely shook his head as his eyes narrowed at the way you were currently balancing yourself with a hand on Daesung’s chest while you struggled to put on your heels.

“Fine… suit yourself Mr. Homebody.” Seungri turned to you. “Ready to go?”

“All ready!” you said excitedly as you finally managed to get the last shoe securely on your foot & you walked out the door after him

Daesung flashed an apologetic smile at Seung Hyun as he left. “Don’t worry, Hyung. I’ll make sure she’s safe.”

Seung Hyun nodded at him seriously and as soon as the door was shut he had his phone out, calling Ji Yong.

“Do you know which club Seungri and Daesung are headed for?” he asked his band leader without so much as a greeting. It wasn’t that he was going to do anything creepy like follow the three of you there. He had Daesung’s word that he would keep you safe & Seung Hyun trusted that to be true. It’s just that he would feel better knowing where you were just in case something went wrong.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________-

The sleek black limo that Daesung helped you climb into was a bit more than you had been expecting, but you were glad that none of you would have to worry about driving anywhere. While you weren’t planning on getting incredibly drunk, you did look forward to letting loose a bit.

Soon enough you were passing by an impressive looking row of buildings.

“Where are we?” you asked as you gaped at your surroundings.

“Nonhyeon-dong.” Seungri said nonchalantly.

“Are you crazy?” you yelled at him, smacking him in the arm. “I can’t afford…”

“Ow!” he cut you off as he rubbed his arm. “We can! So don’t you worry about a thing. Ah, we’re here.” he said with a smile as he looked out the heavily tinted windows.

You followed his gaze and were dismayed at the long line outside the club that was already forming around the side of the building. “We’re never gonna get in there.” you whined. “Just look at that line!”

To your surprise, the car kept turning the corner instead of stopping to let you out.

“Pfft! Lines are for amateurs.” Seungri teased.

Daesung smacked him on his other arm. “Stop showing off.”

“Yah! What is with you two? I try to show you a good time and this is the thanks I get?” Seungri pouted, now rubbing both arms.

The limo pulled up to the back of the building and the door opened. The guys climbed out first & Daesung turned to help you out of the car. The three of you strolled up to the back door of the club where a doorman was waiting for you.

“Nice to see you again Mr. Lee, Mr. Kang.” He bowed to them. “Ma'am, welcome to Club Octagon.” he bowed to you and then opened the door.

Instead of leading into the club proper, there was only a long hallway with a set of stairs at one end. Taking you by the hand, Seungri pulled you towards the stairs. “Come on, ________ -ah!”

You laughed as you followed him up the stairs & came out on what was clearly a balcony VIP area high above the main club.

“There’s our table.” Daesung said as he pointed you to an area set way back in the far corner, as far away from the balcony railing as possible.

Four hours and quite a few drinks later found the three of you laughing at a funny story Daesung had just finished telling when Seungri leaned a little closer to you and whispered. “Don’t panic at what I’m about to do. That guy over there has been eying you for the past forty-five minutes & I don’t like it.”

“Um…. okay.” you said nervously. You hadn’t really noticed anything or anyone around you, to be honest. You had been too busy just having fun with your friends. You stiffened a bit as you felt Seungri’s arm snake around your shoulders protectively, but relaxed after he gave your shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

“I miss Seung Hyun.” you announced suddenly with an over-dramatic and slightly drunken sigh.

“Gee thanks…” Seungri laughed. “Just what every guy wants to hear when he has his arm around a beautiful woman, another man’s name.”

“Come on.” Daesung said as he stood up and held his hand out to you. “Let’s take her home to him.”

Between the two of them helping out, you managed to make it up off the sofa and balance carefully in your heels when a familiar song started up loudly over the clubs speakers.

“Ahhhhhh!” you squealed excitedly as 'Strong Baby’ began playing. “I love this song!” you said happily as you started to dance.

“Really?” Seungri asked you in surprise as he shot Daesung a cheeky grin. “Hear that, Hyung? She loves this song!” Daesung merely rolled his eyes at the maknae.

“Yeah… heard it on the radio last week! Can we stay till it’s over? Please???” you pleaded, still dancing.  
“You heard the lady.” Seungri said playfully. “Let’s dance!”

The three of you danced your way across the VIP lounge towards the door that lead to the stairs; you completely oblivious to the fact that one of the men you were currently dancing with was, in fact, the owner of the golden voice emanating from the speakers.

When you passed the table of the man that had been eying you a little too closely, you missed the glare Seungri sent his way. You also failed to see the shock and awe that spread across the guys face as he realized just who Seungri was. “Sorry, man.” the guy muttered, completely starstruck.

By the time you made it to the door, the song was almost over. Daesung opened the door for you and the two of you went through first still dancing, with Seungri turning around at the very end of the music, shouting loud enough for the entire VIP lounge to hear. “Bye Ladies!” before exiting through the door himself, laughing all the while.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Seung Hyun had long ago fallen asleep on the sofa waiting for you to come home when he was awakened by the front door opening. Groggily, he managed to get up and meet the three of you in the entryway, where Seungri was currently helping you stay upright as Daesung knelt down to help you out of your heels.

“See, hyung!” Seungri said proudly. “Brought her back all safe and sound.”

“We came back so early because apparently she missed you.” Daesung said with a smile as he stood.

“Ya! You weren’t supposed to tell him that!” you whined sleepily.

Seung Hyun merely chuckled . “I’m glad to hear it.” He reached out to take you from Seungri. “I think I can manage from here gentlemen.”

He led you gently to the sofa as the other two men left, laying you down and covering you with the blanket that he’d been using. You snuggled into the soft fabric, inhaling deeply the scent of Seung Hyun’s cologne that had been left behind as you drifted off quickly to sleep.

“Sleep well, gongju-nim.” Seung Hyun whispered as he reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. Then he turned away from you and headed upstairs, completely missing the way you murmured his name in your sleep.


	12. First Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. This story contains fictional representations of real people. None of the events are true. This is from an American standpoint, so some of the situations may not happen the same way they might in Korea. I make no money from the writing of this fictional work.

After Seung Hyun had come home for that week at the end of June, it was going to be the first of September before you would see him again. This time he would be home for three whole weeks and you found yourself ridiculously excited about it. The two of you had been exchanging texts and pictures like crazy & even though it helped, you still missed having him around.

A couple days before he was scheduled to arrive, you were laying in bed reading when your phone unexpectedly began to ring. You picked it up from the nightstand and were surprised to see that it was Seung Hyun.

“Hello?” you answered, sounding a bit concerned because he had never called while he had been gone before.

“_________ -ah!” Seung Hyun said excitedly. “You answered!”

“Of course I answered… is everything okay?” you asked. “You sound out of breath.”

“I’m fine.” he told you. “I just wanted to ask you something while I was thinking about it.” And while I’m too hopped up on post concert adrenaline to care. He thought to himself.

“Oh?” you smiled.

“Yeah, there’s an art auction that I wanted to check out when I get back.” he explained. “I was wondering if you’d like to go with me?”

You felt yourself inhale sharply. “Of course, I’ll go with you!” you exclaimed, then your emotions faltered as you realized something. “Um, exactly what should I wear? Am I attending with you as your Nanny or just as a friend?” you asked.

“Actually… I was hoping that you would go with me… as a date.” he swallowed thickly and held his breath as he waited for what you would say next.

“A date?” you practically squeaked.

“Yes.” he said simply.

You felt yourself smile. “Seung Hyun-ssi, I’d love to.”

He let out a childish whoop of joy “Great! And I think, given what I’ve just asked you, that you can drop the honorifics… at least when we’re alone.”

“Okay…” you paused and took a nervous swallow. ”Seung Hyun-ah.” you finished breathlessly.

You could practically hear his smile through the phone. “I like the sound of that.” he said.

“Hyung, come on! We have to go back on… Wait, why are you on the phone?” you heard Ji Yong ask irritably from the background.

“Is that Ji Yong?” you asked.

“Yes.” Seung Hyun told you. “I have to go. See you when I get back ___________-ah!” and then, just like that, he was gone again.

Finally the day came when you knew Seung Hyun would be coming home. To say you were excited was an understatement, but you didn’t know exactly when he would be arriving. You’d been anxious to see him all day & even as the day stretched on, the excitement didn’t fade. But as day turned to night and even night wore on into the late hours, you were still waiting.

You had eventually fallen asleep curled up on the sofa, which is how Seung Hyun found you when he finally made it to the villa around midnight. After setting his luggage down in the living room, he merely stood there and stared at your sleeping form for a few moments. You looked so peaceful that he debated just letting you sleep, but he had a surprise for you that just wouldn’t wait.

Picking up the small paper bag from the floor he made his way over to you and shook you lightly. “__________ -ah…” he rumbled quietly in a sing-song voice. “Come on, sleepy girl. Wake up for me.”

Your eyes finally fluttered open to see Seung Hyun sitting on the floor in front of the sofa. You smiled widely at him as you stretched & then slid down to sit on the floor next to him. I could get used to waking up like that… you thought to yourself. But all you said to him was a quiet, shy “Hi.”

“Hi?” he asked you playfully. “I’m gone for two months, I bring you a surprise and all I get is ‘Hi’?”

“Surprise?” you sat up a little straighter.

“Surprise.” he confirmed as he held the paper bag out to you.

You took the bag from him, noticing that it felt suspiciously light. Peering inside you found two takeout containers of ice cream, just like the one you had brought him a few months back. Taking them out of the bag, you noticed that one of them was the same flavor that you’d eaten while at the ice cream shop, your favorite.

“How did you…?” you started to ask him.

Seung Hyun leaned forward to take his container from your hand and as he did so, he whispered in your ear. “A little rabbit told me.” You saw the smirk on his face as he sat back against the sofa and took the lid off his ice cream, beginning to dig in with the plastic spoon. “Happy six month anniversary, ___________ -ah.” he said around a mouthful of ice cream.

You didn’t know whether to laugh at his childish antics or cry from the thoughtful gesture, you settled for eating the ice cream.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Two days later was Saturday, the day of the art auction and your first official date with Seung Hyun. After your morning coffee ritual, he had told you to be ready by 3 in the afternoon & had disappeared into his office to get some work done.

After a nice long shower, you were now smoothing out the pale pink dress that you’d chosen to wear. It was rather vintage looking, with cap sleeves and a fitted bodice but it flared out to a full, knee-length skirt. You felt positively girly while wearing it and had styled your hair and makeup to match that feeling. You tied the silk scarf that Seung Hyun had given you a few months ago loosely around your neck, grabbed your purse & shoes and headed downstairs.

When you stepped into the living room, you found Seung Hyun pacing the floor, looking at his phone. When he noticed you, he stopped moving and looked up, smiling as he put the phone away in his jacket pocket. You were relieved to find that what he was wearing was a dark blue suit and a white collarless dress shirt, which meant that you had managed to choose an appropriate outfit.

He held his hand out to you and you crossed over to him, slipping your hand into his. You thought for a moment that he was going to kiss your hand, but instead he extended his arm up so that your entwined hands were high above your heads. He stepped back from you a bit and indicated with his free hand that he wanted you to twirl around for him.

You felt a little silly doing it, but you complied with his wishes. As you twirled slowly around, you couldn’t help the giggle that escaped you. Your brain might have spent the past few days telling you why agreeing to a date with your boss was a bad idea, but right now your heart was just a big fluttering mess that really didn’t give a damn about what your brain had to say about the situation.

“You look beautiful, _________-ah.” he said sincerely as he brought your hands back down, which made you blush.

“Thanks… you don’t look so bad yourself.” you replied.

“Shall we then?” he tucked your hand into the crook of his elbow and gestured towards the front door.

An hour later and the two of you arrived at the art gallery where the auction was being held. The moment that you stepped through the door that he politely held open, you had felt completely out of your element. Everywhere you looked there were people who were obviously incredibly wealthy. And while you were used to being around the upper echelons of society, you were usually just 'the nanny’ & not milling about with them as equals.

Seung Hyun seemed to notice your unease, because he looked up from the auction catalogue he’d been perusing and asked. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah… I, um…” you glanced around. “I feel a little nervous.”

“I make you nervous?” he asked, surprised.

“No! Not at all! I just feel like I don’t fit in.” you explained quickly, gesturing discreetly to the people in the gallery around you.

“Ah.” was all he said as he closed the catalogue. He reached over as a tuxedo clad waiter passed by with a tray & handed you a glass of champagne. “Here. Drink this as quickly as possible and you’ll feel better.”

You immediately downed about half the flute as he did the same with his. “I’ll tell you a little secret, ________ -ah.” he said with a roguish smile. “I don’t fit in with these people either. The only difference is, I don’t care because I’m not here for them. I’m here for the art.” You felt him slip his hand down to the small of your back and begin to guide you through the sea of people and that made you feel more relaxed than any amount champagne would’ve ever been able to. 

The two of you wandered through the art gallery for some time, your arm linked with his. While there were only one or two pieces that he had come to the gallery with the intention of seeing, there had been quite a few more that caught his eye as you walked.

You tried your best to heed Seung Hyun’s words and ignore those around you, focusing on the beautiful works of art he would point out. Still, you caught several glares sent your way from men and women alike. You were beginning to wonder if it was just because you were a foreigner, but then you started to catch little snippets of conversation. “Choi Seung Hyun…” “Foreign girl…” “Look where she has her hand…” “They’re obviously together…” You supposed that they thought they could get away with such comments because they believed you couldn’t understand what they were saying. The only trouble was, you could understand all too well. True to his word Seung Hyun didn’t even seem to notice them, his attention focused solely on the art and you.

Only after you had completed your second trip through the gallery did he seem finally satisfied that he’d seen everything worth seeing.

“Ready to go?” he asked you.

“We aren’t staying for the auction?” you asked back, even though you were more than ready to leave these rude people behind.

“No… I can’t…” he paused as he tried to find the right words. “It attracts too much attention. I’ll call my buyer from the car.”

“Oh…. okay. I see.” you said, even though you had no clue. “So, what are we going to do then?”

“I was thinking dinner.” he told you with a smile as he once again placed his hand at the small of your back to guide you through the crowd and towards the door.

_______________________________________________________________________________________  
You were more than a little confused when the driver pulled the car up to the villa.

“What happened to dinner?” you asked Seung Hyun as he helped you out of the car.

“Oh, we’re still having dinner.” he said slyly as he led you up the walk and inside.

For a moment you felt slightly put out as you thought he expected you to cook him dinner. But when he opened the front door to let you in, you heard the faint sounds of piano music drifting through the air. After the two of you slipped off your shoes, Seung Hyun took you by the hand and led you into the dining room.

You couldn’t help the gasp that escaped your lips. The room was completely transformed by the soft glow of candlelight and the large floral arrangement that now sat in the middle of the table. All of that was surrounded by an assortment of covered dishes that you were assuming contained the promised dinner. You turned and looked at Seung Hyun who was busy uncorking the wine that had been sitting in an ice bucket off to the side of the table.

“Seung Hyun-ssi….” you started to say.

“No, no… what did I tell you about honorifics?” he scolded you.

“Sorry…” you cleared your throat as you sat down. “Seung Hyun-ah, this is incredible. Thank you.”

He smiled as he set your wine glass in front of you and sat down in his chair. “That sounds even better when you say it in person. Say it again…”

You knew what he meant, but you decided to mess with him and said, “What…? Thank you?”

“Tease!” he said and stuck his tongue out at you which made you laugh.

“How did you manage all this?” you gestured around at the candles, flowers and food.

“I spent the better part of this morning on the phone setting it up.” he smiled, looking quite proud of himself. “You like?” he asked, cutely drawing the phrase out as he said it.

You laughed as you remembered the first time he’d said that to you, the first time you’d sat in what had quickly become your favorite chair. “I like.” you replied.

“Good.” he reached out his glass to you and you clinked glasses before taking your first sips of wine.

You spent the next few hours just talking, eating, drinking and laughing. All in all, you had to conclude that it had been the best first date you’d ever had.


	13. Cultural Dating Differences & Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Okay, a small part of this chapter got a little…steamy. Don’t worry, still SFW! Also, there’s fluff in the beginning & relationship angst at the end. And there’s one strong-ish curse word.
> 
> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. This story contains fictional representations of real people. None of the events are true. This is from an American standpoint, so some of the situations may not happen the same way they might in Korea. I make no money from the writing of this fictional work.
> 
> Suggested Listening: Let’s Not Fall In Love - BIGBANG

The two weeks that followed your first date with Seung Hyun were filled with fun and laughter. The two of you kept up your obligations during the day, he doing his job and you being the Nanny. But after Yeon Jun left for the day and it was just the two of you in the villa, there was no telling what could happen.

There had been the night that you’d gotten into a water fight while washing the dishes together after dinner. It had started when he had taken some of the bubbles and smeared them on your nose. It had ended with the two of you soaking wet, kneeling on the kitchen floor and drying it with towels while grinning like mad.

Then there was the time that he brought home pizza for dinner & you ended up eating it while sitting in the living room floor. Afterward, he had made shadow puppets on the wall until your sides had ached with laughter.

One evening he had even dragged you up to the rooftop to watch the sunset together. Which had eventually led to you sitting there, watching the twinkling city lights of Seoul while drinking wine and asking each other “Would you rather…?” questions.

Some nights were merely spent hanging out on the sofa, which was what you found yourself doing now. Seung Hyun was busily writing away in his little notebook, his head adorably bobbing up and down while he listened to music. You had your laptop and were secretly on a mission.

Even though it had been two weeks since your date, Seung Hyun had yet to kiss you… or hug you. In fact, since that night he hadn’t even done so much as hold your hand. You were beginning to get a complex about it, so you decided to search the internet for answers. You thought that perhaps the rules of Korean dating were way different than what you were used to. Turns out that you were right, and he had actually given you a bit more skinship than was usually customary for a first date.

More?!? you thought to yourself in dismay. I’ve heard of taking it slow, but this is killing me!

You sighed loudly as you shifted around on the sofa for what felt like the hundredth time. It wasn’t easy trying to find a comfortable position where you could also keep your screen hidden so as not to give away your embarrassing quest for information.

“Are you okay?” Seung Hyun asked you as he moved his headphones down to his neck. “You keep moving around.”

“Sorry… just… I’m having a hard time getting comfortable.” you apologized. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“Oh… well, why didn’t you say so?” he asked you with a smile. Suddenly he leaned forward and scooped your legs up into one of his long, lean muscled arms and swung them up onto the sofa, landing your feet in his lap. “Better?” he asked as he started to put his headphones back up.

“Y-yeah…” you stammered, still completely shocked by what he had done. “Thanks.”

After you readjusted your skirt, just to make sure nothing was showing that shouldn’t be, you went back to your search. You only had a week left until he would be gone again & you were wondering if you could possibly speed things up a bit during your remaining time together.

That was when you felt it… something warm lightly caressing one of your legs, just above the ankle.

You peered cautiously around your laptop screen to see Seung Hyun, still listening to his music, one hand poised to write and the long, graceful fingers of the other softly stroking your skin. You blinked your eyes rapidly a few times, just to make sure that you were actually seeing what you thought you were. But there was no mistaking the slow and steady tingly feeling spreading through you now. Beginning where he was touching you and working its way up your leg, it felt as if lightning was scorching through your body, only to reach completely unexpected places.

You found yourself having to remind your lungs to breathe as you continued watching the tips of his fingers dance across your flesh. There seemed to be a rhythm to the swirls and patterns he created and you wondered if it had anything to do with the music he was listening to. Sudden visions of entirely inappropriate things having to do with music and Seung Huyn’s hands sprang into your mind and you felt yourself flush with heat.

Quickly, you tore your gaze away from the hypnotic sight before you and forced yourself to look back at your laptop… all the while trying, and failing, to regulate your breathing. Luckily Seung Hyun didn’t seem to notice your predicament, as he looked to be completely immersed in whatever he was listening to. You took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying with all your might to calm down a little.

Perhaps there was something to be said for taking it slow, especially if it made you appreciate little things like this more. The small act of him touching your leg was currently affecting you way more than it normally would have. Maybe you didn’t want to rush things after all… yes, in fact right now, you would say that you were certainly enjoying the effects of cultural dating differences.

__________________________________________________________________________________

The day before Seung Hyun was going to leave again was a Saturday. You had woken up super early because you wanted to spend as much time with him as humanly possible. However, when you opened your bedroom door and smelled the coffee already brewing downstairs, you knew that plan wasn’t going to happen. There was only one reason Seung Hyun got up early on Saturdays and that was if he had to work.

You sighed in defeat as you trudged down the stairs, pulling your robe around yourself even tighter. When you opened the kitchen door, Seung Hyun was standing there already holding out a steaming mug of hot coffee for you.

“Just the way you like it.” he said smiling.

“Thanks…” you said as you took it and shuffled over to the table, sitting down.

He sat down across from you and took a sip out of his own cup. “I… uh, I have to go in today.”

“I know.” you told him, sullenly glaring down at your coffee. He really had made it just the way you liked it & you cautiously took a sip.

“You do? How…?” he sounded surprised. “Ji Yong just called me an hour ago.”

“Because the only reason you get up early on Saturday and make the coffee is if you have to go in to work.” you said, still not looking up from your cup.

Then Seung Hyun did something that completely shocked you straight out of your pouty mood. He reached across the small table and grasped one of your hands in his, encasing it in his warmth.

“Someone’s been paying attention.” he teased with a chuckle as he rubbed small circles on your skin with his thumb.

You looked up at him then. “How can I not? You don’t live with someone for six months and not notice things, Seung Hyun-ah.” you said with a smile.

“I suppose you’re right.” he smirked. “I know how you take your coffee.”

“True…” you took another sip. “It’s perfect.”

He was so proud of himself for getting it right that he did a little dance, which made you laugh.

“There… that’s better.” He winked at you, then suddenly turned introspective as he looked down at your joined hands. “I like the way your hand feels in mine.” he said quietly.

“So do I.” you told him as you gave his hand a slight squeeze.

That squeeze seemed to snap him out of his trance. “I should be home in time for dinner.” he said as he released your hand and stood up, taking his cup to the sink. “Want me to pick up some food?”

You frowned at the loss of contact. “Sure. Can we have noodles? I’m in a noodle kind of mood.”

“Noodles… got it.” he started to walk out of the kitchen, but he turned back and shocked you even further by leaning down and placing a quick kiss on the top of your head. “Bye, ________ -ah.” he rumbled & then he was gone.

The second you heard the front door close, you pulled your cell phone from the pocket of your robe & hit #5 on your speed dial.

“Hello?” Seungri’s voice said sleepily.

“I have to talk to you.” you told him quickly. “Well, I have to talk to someone… and you’re really the only friend I have here so…”

“Woah… wait a minute… slow down.” he yawned. “Why can’t you just talk about whatever it is with Seung Hyun-hyung?”

“Because, goofball…” you swallowed nervously. “I think I’m falling in love with him.”

“I’ll be over in 30.” he said, suddenly sounding very awake & started to end the call. “Oh, and I expect breakfast!”

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Later that afternoon at the studio, Ji Yong was getting thoroughly fed up with Seung Hyun’s inability to focus.

“Hyung!?” Ji Yong asked him for the third time, this time waving a hand in front of the older man’s face.

“Huh?” Seung Hyun mumbled as he snapped out of his deep thoughts.

“That’s it!” Ji Yong threw his hands up in defeat. “Spill… what’s going on? Why are you so out of it today?”

Seung Hyun shook his head, embarrassed. “I don’t want to bother you with my problems. You’ve got enough to worry about. I’m the hyung… I’ll get it under control and deal with it.” he said with resolve.

“Does it have anything to do with __________ -ah?” Ji Yong asked with a smirk.

“H- h-how did you…” Seung Hyun sputtered.

“Oh, please.” Ji Yong rolled his eyes. “I’m not blind! I see the look on your face whenever her name is mentioned. And you couldn’t shut up about her while we were out on tour…”

Seung Hyun winced. “That obvious, huh?”

Ji Yong just nodded.

“I don’t know… it’s just… there’s something about her that makes me feel… When I’m around her, I’m content.” he sighed. “I don’t even have to take her out for dates. We can just hang out at home and have a great time. Around her, I can be Seung Hyun instead of T.O.P.” he smiled goofily. “And her legs are so soft…”

“Her legs!?” Ji Yong exclaimed. “Hold up… didn’t you just have your first date a couple of weeks ago?”

“Yeah, but… the other night, we were sitting on the sofa and I had her feet in my lap. I honestly didn’t realize what I was doing at first… but her skin was just so fucking soft.” he smiled at the memory. “Once I noticed I was touching her, I couldn’t stop.”

Ji Yong playfully shoved him. “Look at you, hyung! Go get you some!”

Seung Hyun growled. “ Yah! It wasn’t like that, you pervert!”

Ji Yong laughed. “I know… I know. I’m just teasing you. You probably haven’t even kissed her yet. Am I right?”

Seung Hyun blushed slightly & shook his head.

Ji Yong sighed. “So old fashioned…. Well, it’s clear that we aren’t getting anything done here. Plus we have an early flight to catch in the morning.” He stood up. “Go on… go home to your woman.”

“She isn’t my woman!” Seung Hyun protested as he stood too. “Yet…”

“Whatever.” Ji Yong rolled his eyes. “You can say what you want, but it sounds like lov-”

He never got to finish his sentence because Seung Hyun clapped his hand over the leader’s mouth. “Don’t.” he said, suddenly serious. “Don’t say that word. The last time I even thought it, you know how that ended.”

Ji Yong nodded, but gently took Seung Hyun’s hand away so he could speak. “Yeah, I know. Honestly man, I never want to see you that broken ever again.” he sighed. “Have you told her yet… about who you are?”

Seung Hyun merely shook his head sadly. “No… I’m terrified of what will happen if I do. What if… what if she leaves?”

“Hyung… I know you can’t see it, but this time it’s different. I know you aren’t actively hiding who you are from _________ -ah, but if she finds out on her own instead of from you… she’s gonna be royally pissed.” Ji Yong explained.

“I know. I know.” Seung Hyun sighed deeply. “I’ve been thinking of telling her when we’re on tour break for Christmas.”

“Good plan.” Ji Yong said. “She can’t be mad at you if it’s Christmas!”


	14. The Birthday Incident

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Potential trigger warning: Someone chokes on their food in this chapter. (Don’t worry, no one is gonna die!)
> 
> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. This story contains fictional representations of real people. None of the events are true. This is from an American standpoint, so some of the situations may not happen the same way they might in Korea. I make no money from the writing of this fictional work.

The month that Seung Hyun was gone this time had been the hardest so far, even though the two of you sent an absurd amount of text messages and pictures to each other on a daily basis. You’d had a phone call once a week to look forward to & one time you even managed a video chat. While all of that made it a little easier, you found that you still missed him like crazy. Your life felt slightly dull without him in it & you knew for a fact that you smiled and laughed less without him around.

You sighed as you took another sip of your coffee. Looking down at the kitchen table you saw the little bright yellow post-it note that you’d found there the morning he left. At the time, it had been attached to a small vase that held a single pale lavender rose. You traced your fingers lightly over the Hangeul letters that read, simply: “I miss you already.” The flower was long since gone, but you had left the note there as a reminder that somewhere, he was missing you just as much as you missed him.

Your phone rang, pulling you out of your morose introspective moment. You weren’t sure who was calling, but it was way too early to be Seung Hyun. You didn’t know exactly where he had gone this time, but you had managed to figure out that he was in a completely different time zone. Picking up your phone from the table, you were surprised to see that it was Hye Yoon, Seung Hyun’s sister.

“Hello?” you answered.

“Good morning, ___________-ah.” she greeted you cheerily. “I didn’t wake you did I?”

“No, I’ve been up for a while. It’s a force of habit. Do you need me to look after Yeon Jun or something?” you asked.

“I wouldn’t ask you to do that on your day off unless it was an emergency.” she said. “No, I just wanted to talk to you about Seung Hyun’s birthday next week.”

That little bit of information had you suddenly sitting up straighter in your chair. “Birthday? Next week!?”

On the other end of the line she sighed. “He didn’t tell you, did he?”

“No…” you answered her. What on earth were you going to do? You had less than a week to figure out a suitable birthday present for the man you were absolutely convinced you were falling head-over-heels in love with.

“___________ -ah? Are you okay?” Hye Yoon asked, sounding a little concerned.

“Yeah, just…. um, what did you have in mind?” you asked her, trying to change the subject.

“I thought maybe a small dinner over at his place. Just you, Yeon Jun, Seung Hyun, myself and our mother. I’ll cook the meal if you can make the dessert. Sound like a plan?”

“Yeah, I can manage that. What day, exactly?” you asked her.

“November 4th. Will that be okay? I know that’s a Wednesday.” she told you.

“No, that’s fine. That will give him a few days to rest after he gets home.” you said.

After clearing up some last minute details, you bid his sister goodbye and hung up. Then you promptly leaned forward and banged your head lightly on the table. Damn… I guess I have to go shopping. You thought dejectedly.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Soon enough, it was Seung Hyun’s birthday. While both he and Yeon Jun were sleeping, you were taking advantage of your alone time by frosting the chocolate cake you had baked the day before. You were almost done when Seung Hyun strolled into the kitchen, looking much more refreshed than when he had headed upstairs for a nap.

Ever since he had been back, his sleep schedule had been way off. Coupled with the fact that he had damn near been in a zombie like state on the day he came home, not to mention the jet lag, it had taken him the past two days just to recover from his travels.

But you knew he was back to his old self as soon as he rushed over to the counter where you were and playfully stuck his finger in the bowl of frosting. Smirking at you, he scooped up a huge dollop of the whipped cream concoction and immediately stuck his finger in his mouth.

“Yah! That’s for the cake!” you scolded him as you smacked his arm lightly.

He laughed as he pulled his finger from his mouth. “But it’s my birthday!” he said with a wink. “I’ll steal frosting if I want to.” He dipped a second finger into the bowl and swirled it around playfully. Coming up with a smaller glob of sweetness, he held his finger out to you. “Want some?” he asked.

Your eyes widened at first, but before you could change your mind, you quickly leaned forward and took the offering into your mouth.

Seung Hyun gasped as if he hadn’t actually expected you to go through with it. Then he groaned quietly as you swirled your tongue around his finger, making sure to catch all the frosting that was on it. You looked up at him then and noticed that his eyes were glazed over with a look that could only be described as lust. Hurriedly, you pulled away and went back to frosting the cake.

“Not bad.” you tried to say nonchalantly, even though your insides were a quivering mess from that heated look in his eyes.

“_________ -ah…” he said huskily as he reached out a hand. But before he could actually touch you, or finish what he was going to say, you both heard the footsteps of Yeon Jun bounding down the hallway. He pulled his hand back just as the kitchen door opened and the boy came into the room, effectively ending the moment.

Seung Hyun offered to go watch some cartoons with Yeon Jun so you could finish up the cake. When they had walked out of the kitchen and the door closed behind them, you slumped against the counter and took a few deep breaths. That man’s eyes are going to be the death of me… you thought.

Meanwhile in the living room, Seung Hyun was settled into the sofa with Yeon Jun. While he was happily absorbed in the cartoon, Seung Hyun was busy staring at his fingers. That woman’s mouth is going to be the death of me… he thought.

____________________________________________________________________________________________-

Dinner had been a pleasant enough experience so far, even though you had been constantly distracted by Seung Hyun’s fingers as you watched him from across the table. You seemed to be hyper aware of them now & watched almost every move his hands made. The way his long graceful fingers maneuvered his chopsticks was particularly mesmerizing to you now.

From beside you, a jerking motion pulled you from your hand fantasies. You turned your head to look over at Yeon Jun and realized in horror that the boy was choking on his food. About the same time you figured it out, so did everyone else at the table. Panic ensued.

“Yeon Jun!” his mother exclaimed as she began to shake him frantically.

Quickly standing up, you gently but firmly removed her hands from the boy. You leaned down and pulled Yeon Jun from his seat, being very careful to put your hands in the correct place and into the right position to perform the Heimlich maneuver. 

One thrust… nothing.

Two thrusts… nothing.

You were beginning to panic yourself, when finally on the third upward thrust of your hands, whatever had been restricting his airway popped out. Yeon Jun took in a huge gulp of air and immediately began crying. You gently let him go and watched as he ran into his mothers arms, both of them sobbing now.

Before you really had time to realize she had even moved, Seung Hyun’s mother had enveloped you in a tight hug. “Oh, thank you!” she said loudly. “You saved my grandson! Thank you!”

“All part of the job, ma'am.” you tried to play it off. “We’re required to pass first aid & CPR training before we can be licensed.”

“Omma…” Seung Hyun said softly as he came around the table. “Let the poor woman breathe.” he reached over and gently pried you out of her grasp.

The second you were free, you bowed to her quickly. “Excuse me…” you mumbled and then you dashed off to the kitchen.

You sprinted over to the sink and ran cold water over your wrists, trying your best to prevent yourself from throwing up as you came down from the adrenaline high. After a few moments, you shut the water off and were drying your wrists when you heard the kitchen door swing open behind you. Turning around you saw Seung Hyun standing there, holding out a shot glass with some sort of clear alcohol in it.

“For your nerves.” was all he said.

You took the glass from him and turned to the side, as Korean customs dictated, before downing the liquid within. You made a face as you set the empty glass on the counter. “Ick… it burns.” you whined as you looked back to Seung Hyun.

He reached out to grab you then & hauled you forcefully into his arms. “Thank you… you amazing, wonderful woman.” he whispered tearfully in your ear.

You began to cry quietly as he held you tight, the reality of what just happened hitting you full force.

“I’m sorry.” you whispered back.

“Sorry?” he leaned back a bit to peer down at you. “What do you have to be sorry for? You just saved Yeon Jun’s life!”

“I’ve been focusing too much on his English and neglecting other areas… like table manners.” you said sadly.

“Listen to me very carefully, __________-ah.” Seung Hyun said, reaching out to tip your head up so you would look at him. “It is not your fault that he gulps his food. He’s always been that way. He hates sitting still long enough to eat for fear that he’s missing out on something fun.”

“Still…” you said as you laid your head on Seung Hyun’s chest and wrapped your arms around him, taking a deep lungful of his rich scent… he smelled heavenly. “I’m going to make it a top priority now to get him to stop that.”

He chuckled as he said. “Good luck.”

The kitchen door swung open and you quickly attempted to move away from Seung Hyun, but he just held you tighter. You couldn’t even see who had come into the kitchen since your face was still buried in his chest.

“I think I’m going to take Yeon Jun and Omma home…” you heard Hye Yoon’s voice trail off as she realized that she’d interrupted something. “So… it’s like that, is it?” she asked, the amusement clear in her voice.

“Yes.” Seung Hyun said, surprising you. “It’s like that.”

“Good for you.” she said. “Just don’t tell Omma though… not yet, anyway.”

You pushed away from Seung Hyun just a bit so you could talk to her. “You’re going to want to take Yeon Jun to the doctor and have him examined.” you explained. “There’s always a chance when you perform the Heimlich on someone that you might bruise or crack a rib. If that happened, you have my profound apology.”

She walked over to you and placed her hand on your arm. “________-ah, even if that is the case, you have nothing to apologize for. I think I’ll keep him home to myself for the next few days and bring him back on Monday. I feel the overwhelming need to baby him.”

You smiled. “Understandable.”

“Besides…” she said as she turned around to walk out of the room. “That will give you two lovebirds plenty of alone time together.”

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After they had gone, you and Seung Hyun had cleaned up & were now sitting in the living room floor eating cake.

“I can’t believe they left without even having cake.” you said as you cut another bite out of your piece with your fork.

“Oh, well.” he sighed dramatically. “More cake for me!”

“Oh, I almost forgot!” you told him. “Would you still like your present?”

“Present?” he asked as you got up from the floor. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“Don’t be silly… of course I did!” you said, walking back over to him after having retrieved it from where you’d had it hidden. “Here.” you sat back down and held the brightly wrapped box out to him.

“Thank you.” he said as he gleefully tore into his gift. But his expression changed into one of reverence as he pulled a picture frame from within the tissue paper in the box.

The photo that you had chosen to give him was one that you had taken a few weeks back while he’d been gone. In it, Yeon Jun was curled up in the beautiful, black De Sede chair, clutching his stuffed rabbit and sleeping peacefully.

He reached out and gently ran his finger over the glass. Even on a normal day he would’ve loved the gift. But after the events of today, it was especially precious to him now.

“ _________-ah, you know me so well. This picture combines two of my three favorite things. Chairs and Yeon Jun.” he said quietly without looking up.

“What’s the third?” you asked.

“Hmmmm?” he hummed, still gazing at the picture.

“You said that’s two of your favorite things… I was wondering what the third is.” you said.

He looked up at you then, his dangerously beautiful eyes locking with yours.

“You.” he whispered.


	15. The Christmas Tree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Fluff! And some… um… unresolved tension. Plus a tiny bit of angst. Oh, and one curse word.
> 
> Author’s Note: All I can say about this chapter is I’m sorry (not sorry). I swear it will all be worth it next chapter because it is super long and beautifully romantic. So, hang in there people… the first big payoff is just around the corner!
> 
> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. This story contains fictional representations of real people. None of the events are true. This is from an American standpoint, so some of the situations may not happen the same way they might in Korea. I make no money from the writing of this fictional work.
> 
> Suggested Listening: Starship Planet ~ Snow Candy

It was now the first week of December and Seung Hyun was once again gone, after only being home for a week during his birthday. You were in the middle of arranging a surprise for when he got back. Between yourself and three security guards, you had managed to lug a huge, fresh Christmas tree into the living room of the villa. They were busy holding it up, while you were standing back looking at it & trying to make sure the tree was straight before you secured it to the base.

“It’s perfect!” you finally declared and the men that had been holding the tree groaned in relief.

“Oh, you big babies!” you scolded them. “Come on, into the kitchen with you. There’s hot chocolate and cookies for everyone.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

On Monday morning when Hye Yoon dropped Yeon Jun off for the day, she gasped aloud when she saw the humongous tree standing in front of the floor to ceiling window.

“When did you do that?” she asked as she walked over to examine it.

“This weekend.” you said as you followed her. “I had a little help from the security guards. Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Hmmm?” she said, still admiring the tree.

“I’ve looked all over the villa, in every storage space I can think of, except in Seung Hyun’s room because I don’t want to invade his privacy… but I can’t find any Christmas decorations. Do you happen to know where he keeps them?” you asked.

She smiled and looked over at you. “Oh, you aren’t going to find any.”

“What?!” you exclaimed in disbelief. “Why not?”

“Samchon’s never had a tree in here before.” Yeon Jun said excitedly as he laid on his back up under it.

“He’s never…” you honestly didn’t know what to think. “Why?” you asked Hye Yoon.

“I think that’s a question you should ask him yourself.” she said as she turned to leave.

After standing there in disbelief for a few moments you said, “Well, Rabbit. Looks like we’re going shopping today then.”

“Yay!” he squealed as he pulled himself up out of the floor.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

A few days later and Seung Hyun was finally on his way home. You tried, in vain, to shush Yeon Jun’s giggling as the two of you were currently hiding behind the sofa. The plan was for the two of you to surprise Seung Hyun with the Christmas tree. You and the boy had put the lights on it but that was all, because you wanted Seung Hyun to have the chance to help decorate the tree if he wanted.

Earlier in the day, you’d sent him a text with very explicit instructions that he let you know when he was almost home. That text from him had come about five minutes ago and you were feeling a little nervous. What if he doesn’t like it? You thought. Oh no, what if the reason he’s never had one is because he’s allergic?!? No… she would’ve told me that. Hmmmm… what if he hates Christmas?

The sound of the front door opening pulled you from those thoughts. You turned to Yeon Jun, your finger on your lips, silently pleading with him to be quiet. He smiled one of the biggest smiles you had ever seen as you heard footsteps getting closer, then you heard the thud of Seung Hyun’s luggage hitting the floor.

“What the…” he said in complete bewilderment.

“Surprise!” you and Yeon Jun yelled as you popped out from behind the sofa.

Yeon Jun bolted from around the sofa and ran straight for Seung Hyun. “Samchon! Nanny got you a Christmas tree.”

“I can see that.” Seung Hyun said as he picked his nephew up in a tight hug. He still stared at the beautifully lit tree, his mouth slightly hanging open.

“We went shopping and I helped pick out the decorations. But, we haven’t done that part yet so you can help us.” Yeon Jun told him excitedly as he squirmed to be let down. As soon as his feet hit the floor, he asked you. “Can I go play now that the surprise is over?”

“Yes, Rabbit. Your mom will be here soon to pick you up.” you told him as you cast a nervous sideways glance at Seung Hyun. You still weren’t really sure if he approved of his surprise or not.

As soon as Yeon Jun left the room Seung Hyun crossed over to the tree, reaching out to touch one of the branches.

“Ummm…” you said as you followed him cautiously. “You like?” turning his own catchphrase back on him in an attempt at humor.

He laughed as he turned to look at you. “Yes… I like. I’ve never had a Christmas tree in here before.”

“I know.” you told him. “Hye Yoon told me. Why is that? If… if you don’t mind me asking.”

“I never had anyone to share it with.” he said softly as he pulled you into a fierce hug. “Thank you, ______ -ah.”

The next day, the three of you had spent the entire afternoon decorating the tree. You were just taking a picture as Seung Hyun held Yeon Jun up in the air so the boy could place the star on top, when Hye Yoon had come to take the boy home for the day. Seung Hyun had followed her out into the entryway, leaving you to clean up the boxes that the ornaments came in.

You had finished up and were standing back to admire your afternoon’s handiwork when you felt Seung Hyun’s arms snake around your waist from behind. He leaned down, placing his chin on your shoulder and rumbled into your ear. “It looks good.”

“Yeah, it does.” you smiled as you felt his hands lightly caress your sides though the fabric of your uniform.

“We’ve worked hard today, so I say we order in some food. What do you want?” he asked.

You were trying your best not to squirm around as his touch started to tickle. “Oh… uh… whatever you want to get. Doesn’t matter to me.” Before you could stop it, a small giggle escaped your lips and you were hoping that he wouldn’t notice.

Unfortunately for you, he did. “Are you ticklish, _______ -ah?” he asked, delight evident in his voice as he dug his fingers into your sides a little deeper and wiggled them.

“Stop!” you said, laughing. “Yes! Yes, I’m ticklish!”

He ignored your pleas to stop and soon you found yourselves in a heap on the floor in front of the twinkling tree, with him tickling you mercilessly until tears formed in your eyes from laughing so hard.

“Seung Hyun-ah….” you pleaded. “Please… I can’t breathe.” you tried to say as you laughed.

He finally stopped his relentless tickle assault long enough for you to try and get your breathing back under control. You’d been laying there taking deep breaths for a moment when you heard him say quietly, “Open your eyes, _________ -ah.”

The tone of his voice was dangerously low & it sent delicious little shivers down your spine. You hesitantly opened your eyes to see Seung Hyun lying on the floor by your side, propped up on one elbow and towering over you as you lay flat on the floor.

You felt your heartbeat quicken as you risked looking up into his deep brown eyes & noticed for the first time just how long his eyelashes were. He reached up and cupped your cheek with his free hand, his thumb swiping over your flushed skin.

“You look so beautiful right now…” he whispered. Looking down at you, he could see the lights of the tree reflected in your eyes. For him, it felt as if the world had just stopped… perfectly preserving this magical moment. “You’ve got to stop doing that.”

“What?” you asked.

“Looking at me like that… It makes me want to kiss you.” he said, blushing lightly.

“Why is that a problem?” you wondered aloud.

“The problem is,” he said as he leaned in. “If I kissed you, I don’t think I’d be able to stop.”

You watched as he started to lean forward and time stood still when you realized what was about to happen… Seung Hyun was going to kiss you. Inhaling deeply the wonderful smell that was him, you allowed your eyes to drift shut again as you prepared for the touch of his lips to yours.

Sadly, life had other plans & Seung Hyun’s phone started ringing loudly from within his pants pocket, effectively breaking the spell. Just as you opened your eyes in surprise, you saw him clench his shut in exasperation.

“Fuck…” you heard him mutter darkly under his breath as he sat up and fished the phone out of his pocket.

“Just ignore it…” you whispered pleadingly as you sat up too.

He’d honestly thought about doing just that, but as soon as he saw that it was Yang Hyun Suk who was calling, he winced. “I can’t.” he told you, a sad look on his handsome face.“Hello?” he barked into the phone angrily.

You managed to get up off the floor and walk into the kitchen, despite the fact that your legs felt like jelly, because you wanted to give him privacy for his call. You had poured yourself a glass of water and were sitting at the table drinking it when you heard him call your name from the living room.

“I’m in the kitchen!” you yelled back. As much as you wanted to be upset with him for taking the call at such a moment, you couldn’t be. You were both adults & sometimes that meant doing things that you didn’t want to do; like answering phone calls that came at exactly the wrong time. You realized that Seung Hyun’s job was very demanding of his time & energy, and you wanted to try your best to be the support that you knew he needed.

The kitchen door swung open to reveal an incredibly pissed off looking Seung Hyun. “I have to go.” was all he said, his voice shaking in anger.

You stood up then & in one fluid motion, walked over to him and slipped your arms around his waist, wrapping him in a tight hug. The second he felt your arms encircle him, he relaxed, melting into your embrace.

“It’s okay…” you told him. “I’ll still be here when you get back.”

You felt one of his hands smooth up and down your back as the other was locked firmly around your waist.

“You promise?” he whispered.

“Promise.” you whispered back.

He sighed. “I’m still ordering you some food.”

“You don’t have to do that.” you said, pulling back so you could look at him. “I can cook…”

“Please?” he interrupted & looked at you with imploring eyes. “Let me look after you.”

You smiled up at him and nodded. “Okay.” you agreed, somehow knowing that it was important to him that he do something to make up for the fact that he was leaving.

He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on your forehead before releasing you and walking out of the kitchen.

Seung Hyun stalked through the villa to the entryway, slipped on his shoes & put on his heavy winter coat.

Yang Hyun Suk sure picked one hell of a time for me to come in and discuss my upcoming enlistment. He thought to himself sourly as he shoved his hands into some gloves and opened the front door, shivering as he walked out into the cold night air.


	16. Christmas and New Years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. This story contains fictional representations of real people. None of the events are true. This is from an American standpoint, so some of the situations may not happen the same way they might in Korea. I make no money from the writing of this fictional work.

Christmas morning found both you and Seung Hyun awash in a sea of wrapping and tissue paper. After a fabulous breakfast of French Toast and coffee, the two of you had gleefully raced to the tree and torn into your presents.

You’d received money from his mother and Hye Yoon, which had made you a little embarrassed until he explained to you that it was quite common in Korea. Then you had gotten a small something from each of his four closest friends; the largest gift being a stuffed panda from your ‘goofball.’

The only thing left was to open your gifts from each other. You reached up under the tree and grabbed a medium sized box, holding it out for him to take. “Here… this one is from me.” you told him with a smile.

You couldn’t help the small giggle that escaped as you watched him tear into the paper with childlike enthusiasm. He reached into the box and pulled out a book, a copy of “The Secret Art of Dr. Seuss.”

“Remember the book I read to you and Yeon Jun?” you asked him.

He simply nodded his head while looking at the cover.

“Well, that’s a collection of artwork from the same author. Not his book illustrations, but his more personal stuff. I remembered how much you enjoyed studying the pictures in the book and thought you might like some of his more mature art as well.” you explained.

He finally opened the book, perusing through a couple of pages without saying anything. You were beginning to wonder if he even liked it, when you noticed him smiling down at the pages. He closed it then and looked up at you.

“Thank you, _________-ah. I love it.” he said, with that same boyish smile. Then he leaned over and dug around in the lower tree branches for a moment before coming up with a small white box. Wordlessly, he held it out to you in both hands.

You took it from him, careful to brush your fingertips across his upturned palms as you did so… any excuse to touch him. Smiling, you traced your finger across the tiny silver bow on top before pulling off the lid to reveal a small, blue velvet jewelry box. Your eyes widened as you took it out & slowly cracked the lid open. Nestled inside were a beautiful pair of silver earrings, shaped like crowns, with tiny, light pink glittering gems set into them.

“Oh, Seung Hyun-ah!” you exclaimed. “They’re lovely.” You quickly unfastened them from within the box and put them on. “There… how do they look?”

“Hmmmmm…” he made a thoughtful noise. “I don’t know… I think I need a closer view.”

“Oh, really?” you grinned.

“Yes, really.” he smiled back.

You hauled yourself up on all fours and crawled across the floor full of discarded wrapping paper until you were right in front of him. “Better?” you asked.

He suddenly reached out and grabbed you, turning you and pulling you to him at the same time, until he had you firmly snuggled in his lap. “There.” he laughed. “Now it’s better.”

You giggled. “Silly man. Now how are you going to see them if I’m facing the opposite way?”

He leaned over, his breath tickling hotly across your cheek as he whispered in your ear. “I can still see them just fine… gongju-nim.”

Your eyes went wide as you heard the term of endearment from him for the first time, but you hummed in approval nonetheless. You were his princess and he had given you crowns. It was completely cheesy, but you couldn’t have been happier.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Later that afternoon, the two of you were laying on the sofa wrapped in a blanket. You were currently cuddled into Seung Hyun’s side with his arm around your shoulder, watching as he flipped through the book you had given him.

“Oh, I almost forgot…” he said as he reached over to the table for the red envelope that was laying there.

You moved to sit up and yawned tiredly. “Forgot what?”

“This.” he said, holding it out to you.

“But I only got you one gift!” you whined. “It’s not fair if I get two.”

“Well… think of this as a gift for both of us then.” he said with a smile.

“Okay…” you said dubiously as you carefully tore open the envelope. You pulled out the heavy embossed card from within and began to read: “You are cordially invited… New Years Eve celebration… InterContinental Seoul COEX… Sky Lounge…” your voice trailed off.

Seung Hyun quirked an eyebrow at you. “You didn’t have plans already for New Year’s did you?”

“No…” you still sounded unsure.

“Well, now you do.” he smiled, but then seemed to catch on that you weren’t quite as excited as he thought you would be. “_________ -ah? What’s wrong?”

You swallowed thickly, “Is it… Is it fancy?”

He snorted lightly. “Obnoxiously so. Why?”

“I, um… I probably don’t have anything suitable to wear.” you said quietly. “The only party dress I brought with me was the one I wore out to the club and that’s hardly appropriate…” you rattled on before he stopped you.

“I’ll take care of it.” he told you, gently pulling the invitation from your hands & placing it back on the table.

“Seung Hyun-ah… you don’t need to…” you started to say.

“Do you trust me?” he interrupted, taking your hands in his.

“Of course.” you said without hesitation.

He smiled. “Then, I’ll take care of it.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“What the hell am I going to do?” Seung Hyun said as he paced the floor of Ji Yong’s apartment two days later. “I said I would take care of it!”

“Hyung… calm down, will you?” Ji Yong grumbled from the sofa where he was laying. “And stop pacing! You’re giving me a headache…”

Seung Hyun flopped down dramatically in the nearest chair and mumbled something under his breath.

“Care to repeat that?” Ji Yong asked, thoroughly irritated.

“I reserved the Pluto room.” Seung Hyun said, more clearly this time as he sighed.

That information was enough to make Ji Yong sit up slowly. “You…you what? You’re not going to…? Are you?” he asked hesitantly.

“No! Nothing like that.” Seung Hyun explained quickly. He knew that most people only reserved the Pluto room for marriage proposals, but he was not most people. “I… I plan on confessing.”

Ji Yong whistled. “You sure don’t do anything halfway, do you?”

Seung Hyun chuckled. “Anything worth doing, is worth doing correctly.”

“Did you talk to the President about it yet?” Ji Yong asked carefully.

Seung Hyun nodded. “Yeah, a couple weeks ago, right when we got back.”

“And?” Ji Yong asked.

“He’s not too happy about it.” Seung Hyun sighed. “But I reminded him that he hasn’t had to really deal with relationship stuff from me before and he became a bit more flexible. We aren’t exactly going public… but if it happens, then we’ll figure something out when the time comes.”

Ji Yong rubbed a hand across his face tiredly. “Alright, hyung… I think I have a plan.”

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It was New Years Eve and you still had no freaking clue what 'I’ll take care of it’ was going to entail. Your work day with Yeon Jun had just finished and you were beginning to get a little anxious about tonight. It didn’t help that you hadn’t seen Seung Hyun all day, as he had already been gone when you had woken up.

Your phone suddenly went off, alerting you to a text message & you fished it out of the pocket of your uniform.

'Go ahead and take a shower. I’ll be there by 6. ~your Fairy Godmother Ji’

What the heck? You thought to yourself, then you grinned as realization dawned on you. I guess this is 'taking care of it’.

After your shower, you were walking downstairs wrapped in your bathrobe and drying your hair when the doorbell rang. You walked quickly to answer it, revealing the expected Ji Yong standing there with a smile on his face. What you didn’t expect however, were the three other people with him. They quickly breezed by you with garment bags and make up cases in hand.

“Surprise!” Ji Yong said with a goofy smile. “Come on, let’s get you ready for the ball… Seung Hyun’s Princess.”

Three hours later and you were finally climbing out of the shiny black limo that Ji Yong had helped you into an hour ago… traffic had been hell. You looked up at the InterContinental Seoul COEX and shivered a bit at the cold. Gathering your (borrowed) white fur coat around you, you headed for the entrance. Ji Yong had told you to keep the dress, but the coat most definitely had to come back to him once you were done with it.

Once inside, you stopped the nearest person you could find that was wearing a uniform.

“Excuse me.” you said. “But could you please direct me to Sky Lounge? I’m meeting someone in the Pluto room.” you carefully repeated the phrase Ji Yong had told you to use.

The man’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh? So, you’re the lucky lady tonight.” he said with a smile. “Please, follow me.”

Once you’d followed him to the elevators, gone up quite a few floors and checked your coat, you walked through the lounge until you arrived at a set of doors. The man who had escorted you slowly slid one open so you could enter.

“Have a nice evening, ma'am.” he said, grinning slyly.

You barely heard him as your gaze was focused on what he had revealed by opening the door. You walked into the private dining room, dazedly taking in the utterly romantic setting. It was round in shape with a huge picture window that overlooked the city including Bongeun Temple, the Han River and Olympic Stadium.  
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There was a round table, already set, along with vases of flowers and multiple candles were lit all over the room… there were even rose petals on the floor. All of it was very nice, but nothing could compare to the sight Seung Hyun in a tuxedo.

He had been standing at the window looking out over the city when the door had opened. The moment he turned around and you got your first full view of him, your heart had caught in your throat. When he flashed you that gorgeous smile of his and began to cross the room, you had to remind yourself to breathe so you wouldn’t risk passing out. Once he had reached you, he leaned over and gathered one of your hands in his, kissing the back of it lightly.

Taking his time, he looked approvingly at how you were dressed. From among the many things that the stylists had brought over, Ji Yong had chosen a red floor length gown that covered only your left arm and shoulder, leaving the other side completely bare. Your hair had also been styled within an inch of its life and your make up was way beyond anything that you would’ve been able to accomplish by yourself. You felt beautiful.

“Say what you will about Ji Yong…” Seung Hyun said as he looked you over. “But the man knows fashion. You look stunning, __________ -ah.”

“So do you!” you managed to blurt out nervously. “Um… I mean, you look good as well. Very handsome.”

He smirked at your obvious flustered state. “Shall we have dinner, then?” he asked as he pulled out the chair for you. “I hope you like Italian.”

After five courses of some of the most delicious food you had ever eaten in your life, you were currently sipping after dinner coffee. The two of you sat and chatted comfortably until your waiter quietly slipped into the room and set two glasses of champagne on the side of the table closest to the window before exiting once more.

“Ah, I suppose it’s almost midnight then.” Seung Hyun said as he stood and held his hand out to you, helping you up out of your chair.

He gently pulled you across the room until the two of you were standing at the window. For a few moments you just stood there, looking out over the beautiful city skyline, then he quietly cleared his throat.

“__________ -ah?” he said as he reached out and turned you so that you faced him.

“Yes?” you peered up at him expectantly.

“I… uh, I just wanted to say what a wonderful time I’ve had tonight.” he stammered.

“Me too.” you smiled at him. “Seung Hyun-ah, are you feeling okay? You look a little pale.” you leaned forward, placing your hand on his forehead to see if he had a fever.

He reached up and tenderly took your hand in his, bringing it away from his face. “I’m fine… just nervous.”

You smirked. “I make you nervous?” you repeated what he had asked you on your first date.

“Yes.” he said. “But only in the best way.” taking a deep breath, he continued. “I want to tell you something, but if you could, just hear me out and don’t interrupt or else I might not be able to say everything.”

You merely nodded at him, feeling both curious and slightly frightened.

He nervously cleared his throat again. “When I decided to hire a nanny for Yeon Jun, I dreaded the thought of having to share my private space with someone else. I… I’ve been alone for a long time. And, for the most part, I’ve enjoyed the loneliness. I thought I needed it. But… you make me not want to be alone anymore. What I’m trying to say is, I like you.”

You felt the tears pricking at your eyes, but you did your best to keep them at bay as you kept your promise to stay quiet. Now that you knew the rules of dating in Korea, you knew that this was a big deal… this was his confession.

“The past ten months have been some of the most special times in my life. And, even though we’ve only been on one real 'date’, I feel as if every moment we spend together is special in it’s own way. I want to keep having moments just like those with you, for as long as you’ll let me. Which is why I want to ask you… I want us to be an official couple, __________ -ah. So, as cliché as it sounds, will you be my girlfriend?”

You couldn’t stop the tears now, even if you had wanted to. Not entirely sure that you could trust yourself to speak, you simply nodded 'yes’.

Seung Hyun pulled you to him and wrapped his arms around you, letting out a long shaky breath.

From the other side of the door, you could hear the other patrons of the lounge begin counting down to the New Year.

10…9…8…

Seung Hyun pulled back from you just a bit & looked down at you lovingly.

“I need to hear you say it.” he whispered.

7…6…5…

“W…what?” you stammered, even though you had mostly stopped crying by now.

4…3…2…

“I need to hear you say that you’ll be mine, gongju-nim.” he rumbled in that deliciously deep voice of his.

1… Happy New Year!

“Yes…” you said breathlessly. “Yes, I will be yours just as long as you are mine.”

Hearing you say that seemed to flip some sort of switch inside Seung Hyun. His arms uncurled from around you and he reached up to gently cup your face in his hands as he leaned forward and finally captured your lips in a kiss.

Since that evening in front of the Christmas tree, you had been trying to imagine what it would be like to kiss Seung Hyun. But this was nothing like your many, many fantasies. It was so much better. His warm lips pressed softly into yours at first, as if he was testing to make sure it was okay.

As soon as he felt you respond to the kiss though, you felt him smile and then he totally surprised you by nipping your bottom lip with his teeth gently. When you gasped in shock, Seung Hyun’s tongue plunged between your lips, tasting you and twining your tongue with his. He tasted faintly of the coffee that you’d both been drinking and something else that was uniquely him.

As the kiss deepened, his hands slowly fell from your face, only to trail down your arms and snake around your waist, pulling you to him & melding your bodies even closer together. As if they had a mind of their own, one of your hands slipped around to the middle of his back & the other went around his neck, your fingers sliding up into his hair from behind.

It took the noise from the fireworks that were going off outside over the river surprising you both to finally break you apart. You simply rested your foreheads against one another, breathing raggedly. Splashes of color washed over your faces from the fireworks show right outside the window as your eyes remained locked on each other.

After a moment, Seung Hyun pulled back and whispered quietly. “Wow…”

“Yeah, wow…” you breathed heavily as you guided his head back towards you, needing to feel his lips against yours again.

He chuckled into the kiss this time and the two of you continued just like that for quite a while… the sounds of fireworks and New Year’s revelers carrying on all around while you were caught up in your own little world within the private room. After you had broken apart the second time, Seung Hyun leaned over to the table and picked up the flutes of champagne that had been sitting there.

“I’d like to make a toast.” he passed one of them to you. “To us.” he said simply.

“To us.” you repeated as the two of you clinked glasses and drank deeply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is… the end of “The Nanny”. I hope you are all as satisfied with it as I am. Thank you all very much for the love and comments so far. Don't worry... the story still continues!


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